DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service

Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC)

Atlanta GA 30333

March 8, 2006

Greetings:

Serving as the 2006 National TB Controllers Workshop Planning Committee, we are now working on the agenda for this year's workshop. Our group consists of representatives from the National TB Controllers Association (NTCA), the National TB Nurse Consultant Coalition (NTNCC), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE).

The workshop will be held June 13 - 15, 2006, at the Sheraton Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia. The workshop will be preceded by a number of related sessions on Monday, June 12, 2006.

The NTCA will again be handling the registration, which will include internet online registration. Information about hotel reservations and registration will be sent to you in the next few weeks.

The title for this year's Workshop is “Eliminating TB: Fighting the Enemy.” Breakout sessions will be included each day to enhance discussions, as well as share program experiences and successes. In addition, this year we are attempting to increase the viewing and discussion time for posters.

The Workshop Planning Committee would like to solicit poster abstracts for this 2006 National TB Controllers Workshop. The posters will be a very important part of obtaining the input and contribution of TB control staff across the nation from high, medium, and low morbidity states and big cities. We encourage every state and big city health department to submit at least one abstract for poster presentation. In addition to poster display for viewing, three abstracts will be chosen for oral poster presentations on Wednesday, June 14.

Abstracts will be reviewed and accepted on the basis of quality, date of receipt, innovation, and potential for application elsewhere. During the workshop, awards will be given to a limited number of posters based on relevance to TB control or elimination; clarity of information; and graphic presentation.

This is an opportunity for you or someone in your TB control program to exchange information that may be useful to other colleagues. Programs are encouraged to submit multiple abstracts for poster presentation. You are welcome to submit abstracts that you have developed for other meetings or conferences, if they are still current and relevant.

We are asking for electronic submission of the abstracts. Instructions for abstract submission are enclosed. Please use the enclosed electronic form to describe your proposed poster. (Also enclosed is a poster submission example from the CDC TB Public Health Poster Session.)

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is March 17, 2006. We will make notification regarding abstract acceptance by April 3, 2006, via telephone or e-mail.

Page 2 - Greetings

For further information, please contact: Phillip Talboy at (404) 639-8120; Carol Pozsik at

(678) 503-0503; or Sherry Brown at (404) 639-8989. (NOTE: We will be sending you additional information soon about the agenda, hotel reservations, etc.)

On behalf of the 2006 National TB Controllers Workshop Planning Committee:

NTCA and NTNCC Representatives:

John Bernardo, MD, NTCA President

Jane Moore, RN, MHSA, NTNC President

Carol Pozsik, RN, NTCA Executive Director

Phillip Griffin, Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Lynelle Phillips, RN, MPH, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

CDC Representatives:

Phillip Talboy, Deputy Director, DTBE

Zachary Taylor, MD, Chief, FSEB, DTBE

Wanda Walton, PhD, Chief, CEBSB, DTBE

Dan Ruggiero, MPS, Program Consultant, FSEB, DTBE

Regina Bess, Health Education Specialist, CEBSB, DTBE

Sherry Brown, Training Specialist, CEBSB, DTBE

Enclosures


2006 National TB Controllers Workshop Abstract Submission Form

First Author's Name: ______

Title and affiliation: ______

Phone: ______Fax: ______E-mail: ______

Mail Address: ______

______

______

Other authors and affiliations: ______

______

______

Contact person for information about the project - (if different from first author):

Contact Person's Name: ______

Title: ______

Phone: ______Fax: ______E-mail: ______

Mail Address: ______

______

______

************************************************************************************************

Who will present the poster?

Name: ______

Title: ______

Phone: ______Fax: ______E-mail: ______


ABSTRACT: (1) Descriptive title, list of authors, and affiliations

(2) Background/statement of problem and objectives

(3) Methods used in addressing the problem

(4) Results of study, including supportive data

* Abstracts must be received by March 17, 2006.

Use space above - limit to 350 words or less (example attached).

(5) Conclusions

Information on Submission of Abstracts

2006 National TB Controllers Workshop

Due Date: March 17, 2006

Send the abstract and “Additional Information” forms electronically to:

Sherry Brown at

If there are questions or if you have difficulty submitting electronically, please call Sherry Brown at

(404) 639-8989.

EXAMPLE: TUBERCULOSIS PUBLIC HEALTH POSTER ABSTRACT FORM *

CONTENT: (1) Descriptive title, list of authors, and affiliations

(2) Background/statement of problem and objectives

(3) Methods used in addressing the problem

(4) Results of study, including supportive data

(5) Conclusions

Use space below - limit to 350 words or less.

NATIONAL SURVEY ON TB OUTREACH WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1995

Taylor Z., Miller B.

Introduction: The treatment of patients with active disease is the top priority of tuberculosis (TB) control. Outreach workers (ORWs) that are representative of communities being served are recognized as an essential part of this effort.

Rationale: The purpose of this study was to describe the source of funding, activities, demographic characteristics, education, training, and languages of TB ORWs to assist in development of appropriate training and methods to evaluate their effective use.

Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all 68 TB control programs that have cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (50 states, 9 cities, District of Columbia, and 8 territories).

Results: Fifty-eight programs responded to the survey and 53 programs provided information on 1,096 ORWs. Seventy-three percent of these ORWs are partially or fully funded with federal funds. The average ratio of ORWs to incident cases of TB is one outreach worker for every 15-20 cases of TB, regardless of the TB case rate. ORWs are racially and ethnically diverse. Approximately three-fourths of ORWs have college or professional degrees, including 17% that are registered nurses. Almost half (44%) have worked for one year or less as ORWs. One fourth have only received on the job training. Overall, ORWs spend 33% of their time providing directly observed therapy; however this varies among programs. There are differences in the characteristics of ORWs from different programs and these differences will be illustrated.

Conclusions: ORWs are a heterogeneous group that is racially and ethnically representative of the populations they serve. ORWs are substantially supported by federal funds and loss of these funds could severely impact these programs. Given their diversity, effective utilization, evaluation, and training will require varied approaches that consider their education and skills.