Local Public Health Training Institute

Local Public Health Training Institute

Advisory Council Meeting Minutes

April 10, 2006

Meeting participants:

Dawn Baxter, PSI

Joe Cahill, MDPH (guest)

Sally Cheney, MDPH

Gerard Cody, MEHA

Sandy Collins, MAPHN

John Felix, DEP

Kathleen Gilmore, MDPH

Allison Hackbarth, MDPH

Paul Halfmann, MDPH

Peg Harrington, MDPH (by teleconference)

Glynnis LaRosa, MDPH

Kathleen MacVarish, BU School of Public Health

Sharon Mastenbrook, MHOA

Donna Moultrup, MHOA

Gilbert Nick, Harvard School of Public Health

Amy Rosenstein, PSI

Cheryl Sbarra, MAHB

Frank Singleton, MPHA

Paula Stamps, U Mass Amherst

Charlotte Stepanian, MAPHN

Geoff Wilkinson, MPHA

Meeting starting time: 12:05 p.m.

I.  Report of curriculum subcommittee

At the first meeting of the subcommittee to develop a core curriculum for local public health training, there was not consistent understanding of whether this group was intended to address all training needs or trainings needs specific to emergency preparedness. The Advisory Council discussed the intended focus of the subcommittee.

Geoff Wilkinson said that his motion at the Institute Advisory Council on March 20 was for the subcommittee to draft curriculum for local public health for the Institute for the coming year, not limited to emergency preparedness topics. Kathleen Gilmore noted that the Institute’s funding from the CDC is specific to emergency preparedness, so for topics that do not address emergency preparedness, the Advisory Council will need to identify how to fund trainings with alternative funding sources. Sally Cheney said that the subcommittee can look at the full spectrum of local public health curriculum needs and trainings that are emergency preparedness related can fall under the Institute budget. While there is some flexibility about how emergency preparedness is defined, there are clearly some things that fall outside this framework. She reiterated that for such trainings, the Advisory Council and its members would need to look for other sources.

The question was raised about the Foundations course and how it meets the CDC funding requirements regarding emergency preparedness. MDPH representatives stated that they feel that the course is fundable under the CDC budget and that there is funding to create the hybrid version of the class. The evaluation of the course that was offered in March and April can help determine what the future needs are for a classroom-based version. It will be important to continue to look at how this course meets future CDC deliverables. Several people from the Coalition expressed the importance of the Foundations course and that it is needed as a basis for many people in local public health before they participate in other trainings.

It was agree that the subcommittee will develop a master calendar for to address local public health training needs and present it to the Advisory Council. The Advisory Council will then identify those trainings that can fall under its budget. For those that cannot fall under the Institute budget, alternative funding sources can be sought.

II. Update on funding and budget issues

Sally Cheney stated that the request for rollover funds is being submitted to the CDC, which includes funds to restore the Institute budget.

Risk Communications Training:

Joe Cahill and Peg Harrington provided a description of the risk communication training focused on pandemic flu. The training will meet the criteria to be considered an exercise for local public health. The training will include: a) assistance on using the risk communication template; b) a presentation developed by Peter Judge at MEMA for PIOs; and c) an exercise using the case scenario that was used in “Be Prepared for Pandemic Flu”. Advisory Council members noted that in addition to PIOs, health departments would have an important role in developing risk communication messages and should be part of the target audience. Another person said that it is important to clearly identify the objectives and competencies that this training addresses, in order to do a thorough evaluation.

It was noted that it is important to get the pandemic trainings out to cities and towns. An MDPH member said that the health educators are making the pandemic trainings available at the community level.

The Institute has been requested to provide logistical support, flyer development and promotion, pre-registration, and evaluation support to this initiative. The Advisory Council raised no additional questions and the Institute will move forward on providing this support to the project.

Guidelines to Support Competency-based Emergency Preparedness Training: Amy Rosenstein provided an update on the support being requested under the Institute budget. This includes: a) placing the competency database and other supporting materials on the Institute website, b) developing a simple information sheet for local public health on the guidelines, and c) a postcard communication to course providers to let them know that the materials are on the Institute website. Betsy Land will continue to provide trainings on the Guidelines. It was suggested that there should be a subcommittee of Advisory Council members from academic programs to who could work with Betsy on disseminating information about the Guidelines and getting them incorporated into public health academic programs.

The question was raised about how this and other trainings can be plugged into distance learning. Kathleen Gilmore talked about the Interwise system that MDPH now has in place for distance learning. This system allows people to participate in live training at their computer. Scott Kenfield from MDPH can attend an upcoming Advisory Council or subcommittee to demonstrate the system and its capabilities.

Food and Water Emergency Training: Amy Rosenstein reported that she had a preliminary meeting with Priscilla Neves and will be working with her to develop a project plan over the next weeks.

Incident Command for Public Health: Allison Hackbarth informed the Advisory Council that the ICS training no longer meets FEMA requirements to count as a deliverable for local public health. The course provides useful information for local public health, but because it will not meet FEMA requirements, it was proposed that this could be a good course to pilot on the Interwise system. A motion was passed to not fund holding classroom trainings in July and another motion was passed to offer it as a web-based training.

IV. Next Steps/Next Meeting

It was noted that the Advisory Council from the Western Massachusetts Public Health Association has resigned from her position. Amy will work on identifying a new representative.

The next meetings was scheduled for May 22 from 12:00-2:00 at Wellesley Gateway, and a phone-in line will be available. Please note that due to scheduling conflicts, this meeting has been postponed. The next meeting will be rescheduled.

Meeting adjournment time: 2:00 p.m.

3