~CPHP Presents a LIVE Audience Broadcast~ Transportation and Public Health Preparedness: A Focus on Rail Transportation April 15th, 2010
March 16, 2010 -
Transportation and Public Health Preparedness:
A Focus on Rail Transportation
April 15th, 2010
John L. Silvernail, MD
Director; Public Health Emergency Epidemiology Program, NYSDOH BCBD
Chief Medical Officer; New York Task Force 2, DOS/OFPC
Preventive Medicine Resident, University at Albany School of Public Health
Why Focus on Rail Transportation?
-Vast quantities of hazardous materials are moved by rail
-Railroad service points may store large amounts of diesel fuel
-Much of the railroad physical plant is unguarded and easily accessed
-Much of our food travels by rail at some point
-Commuter trains move large numbers of people to and from major cities daily
-In many cases the railroad physical plant is located near vulnerable populations
Objectives:
The participant will be able to describe public health and emergency preparedness aspects of:
-Railroad Healthcare
-The Railroad Physical Plant
-Various types of railroad equipment
-Both freight and passenger operations
-Railroad special events
~Registration is required~
30 spots are available for the LIVE Audience Broadcast.
To register to view the broadcast please use the link below and select your viewing choice (LIVE at the studio, satellite, web stream), or call (518) 486-7921.
http://www.informz.net/ualbany-sph/event.asp?eid=3610
CPHP to Co-Sponsor our 6th Annual GIS in Public Health Day on 4 May 2010; classes to be offered on 5 May.
March 10, 2010 -
The theme of this year’s conference is Using GIS to Improve Public Health.
The cost of the May 4th conference is $30.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided provided to persons registered and paid by Friday April 23, 2010.
The event will begin at 8:00 am with registration and end at 4:30 pm. All activities will take place at the University at Albany, School of Public Health in East Greenbush.
Presentations May 4, 2010
Keynote: The role of GIS in advancing the modernhealth transition in the U.S. - Gerard Rushton, University of Iowa
Early detection of disease outbreaks - Martin Kulldorff, Harvard Medical School
Geographic, socioeconomic and racial disparitiesin cancer survival - Kevin Henry, New Jersey Cancer Registry
County Health Rankings: Mobilizing ActionToward Community Health - Bridget Booske, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
GIS and Geospatial Science at Work at the CDC:Improving Public Health Practice and Research - Andrew Dent, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Connecting Data and Kids: The power and simplicity of the Kids' Well-being Indicator Clearinghouse - Cate Bohn and Robin Miller, New York State Council on Children and FamiliesPaul Marano, Cogent Technologies
Other than the Keynote Address, the order of the presentations may change.
Please clink on the link below to register for the May 4, 2010 presentations.
The May 4th conference will be followed by a day of training in the School of Public Healh teaching lab.
There is a $30 fee to attend the trainings and you must register for the May 4th conference also.
Training Classes May 5, 2010
Morning Training Session (9AM-NOON) Google Earth & Public Health - Frank Boscoe Assistant Professor, University at Albany School of Public HealthCancer Registry, New York State Department of Health
Google Earth is the most powerful of several free programs that can interpret KML, an open-source language for web-based geographic visualization. KML has rapidly become a preferred means of generating, storing, sharing and displaying geographic data. This three-hour workshop provides an introduction to Google Earth and how it may be used in public health programs. Some basic GIS knowledge is helpful, though not necessary.Learning objectives: 1. Students will learn to use Google Earth to locate geographic features and landmarks. 2. Students will learn to create, store, and share their own geographically referenced data using Google Earth.
Afternoon Training Session (1PM-3PM) The Geographic Aggregation Tool (GAT) - Thomas Talbot & Gwen LaSelva, Environmental Health Surveillance Section, New York State Department of Health
Health outcome maps with high geographic resolution can inadvertently disclose confidential data. In addition, high resolution health outcome rate maps are often misleading due to random fluctuations in disease rates in areas with small numbers. To overcome these limitations, the New York State Department of Health Environmental Health Surveillance Section developed a Geographic Aggregation Tool (GAT) which joins neighboring geographic areas until a defined population, and/or number of cases is reached. The GAT was originally developed using SAS, but was converted to R, an open source statistical programming language. The R GAT uses shapefiles (*.shp). The shapefiles must uniquely identify each area and have counts of health outcomes, population, or other variable(s) upon which to base the aggregation. The program can also favor merges nested in larger regions. For example, when aggregating census tracts, the aggregated areas will, if possible, not cross county boundaries. Census geographies, such as census tracks, census blocks or counties, as well as postal service areas (ZIP Codes), can be used with the tool. The tool produces maps showing the aggregated areas in KML and shapefile formats, which can be used with a variety of desktop and internet based GIS applications. The training session will provide examples using simulated birth outcome data at the ZIP code level. A beta version of the GAT along with R will be provided.
Learning objectives: 1. Students will learn how confidentiality can be compromised with maps. 2. Students will learn how to geographically aggregate health and population data using the Geographic Aggregation Tool in order to avoid compromising confidentiality and to reduce random fluctuations in rates due to small numbers .
Free Afternoon Training Session (1PM-3PM)
Creating Maps with SAS/GRAPH - Mike Zdeb Assistant Professor, University at Albany School of Public Health,author of Maps Made Easy Using SAS
Maps can be created with SAS® by using either SAS/GIS or the GMAP procedure, one of the procedures available within SAS/GRAPH. This class will first show you how to use the GMAP procedure to create four different map types: choropleth, prism, surface, and block. The class will then concentrate on creating choropleth maps, "... 2-dimensional maps that represent data values as combinations of pattern and color that fill map areas ..." (definition from SAS/GRAPH Software Usage Version 6). Once you understand how to create a map, you will learn how to customize the output of GMAP using an annotate data set and also be introduced to some methods of producing web-based maps.Prerequisites: You should have some knowledge of SAS concepts (data sets, libraries, formats, etc.) if you sign up for this class. You need not have any knowledge of SAS/Graph.
Please clink on the link below to register for the May 5, 2010 trainings.
http://www.informz.net/ualbany-sph/event.asp?eid=3606
Payment forms accepted for this event include cash or check only.
If you have any questions about conference registration or payment, contact us at:
cphp@uamail.albany.edu or 518-486-7921
FOREIGN AND EMERGING ANIMAL DISEASE TRAINING FOR THE VETERINARY PROFESSIONAL -- MARCH 25 IN SYRACUSE
March 03, 2010 -"Swine Flu", Anthrax, West Nile Virus, Avian Influenza: These diseases make headlines, but many other diseases threaten our globalized society. Veterinary professionals, as intermediaries in the world of agriculture, animals and humans, play a critical role in preparedness and protection of the public health from these potentially emerging diseases.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Alfonso Torres, D.V.M., M.S., PhD. Associate Dean for Public Policy College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
Location: Doubletree Hotel - Syracuse, 6301 State Route 298, East Syracuse, NY 13057
***Registration Required***
Please Register by March 22, 2010
Register by clicking the link below or calling (518) 486-7921
http://www.informz.net/ualbany-sph/event.asp?eid=3600
CPHP launches new online course entitled Special Medical Needs Shelters
November 10, 2009 -The University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness is proud to announce the launching of a brand new online course entitled "Special Medical Needs Shelters."
The goal of this course is to provide an overview of special medical needs shelters, including opening and closing procedures, triage and admission processes, shelter operations, health and safety issues, and planning considerations.
This course is intended for anyone who may volunteer or be assigned to work in a special medical needs shelter during a disaster response, as well as local and state government employees and local leaders who may be involved with planning such a shelter.
Please visit the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness e-Learning site for more details or to register.
Coming Soon - New online courses!
November 10, 2009 -CPHP will be launching two new online courses in the coming months:
Emergency Management and Preparedness Planning for Community Health Center Leaders
Emergencies happen - but is your community health center prepared? The more prepared your health center is, the more efficient your facility's response will be and the more quickly your center can recover and get back to business as usual.
The purpose of this course is to aid community health centers in developing and maintaining an emergency management plan that guides their response to all hazards. For organizations that have developed emergency management plans, this course will provide an opportunity to evaluate how the plan might function in a disaster scenario.
Personal Health and Safety for Emergency Responders
This course is intended for anyone who might be working or volunteering in disaster response. This includes staff members of public health department, hospitals, and community health clinics. It also includes volunteer responders such as members of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). A secondary audience might be first responders such as police, firefighters, and EMS.
The course will cover such things as:
- Acute medical consequences of disasters
- Psychological impacts of disasters
- Diasters and infections
- Types and use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Specific disasters and safety
CPHP Launches New Online Emergency Animal Sheltering Course
June 01, 2009 -June 1, 2009:
The University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness is proud to announce the launching of a brand new online course entitled "Emergency Animal Sheltering." The main objective of this course is to educate participants on the purpose and types of emergency animal shelters, as well as the management and administration of such shelters.
This course is the second in a series of introductory courses designed for those who may provide services (clinical, managerial, administrative) or other assistance to an animal sheltering operation during an emergency.
Please visit the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness e-Learning site for more details or to register.
Updated Web-based Course: HazMat Transportation Incidents: Using the Emergency Response Guidebook 2008
February 12, 2009 -The web-based course entitled HazMat Transportation Incidents: Using the Emergency Response Guidebook has been updated to reflect changes in the recently released 2008 version of the guidebook. Revisions include minor content changes and updated graphics.
Please see further details regarding new version and other new courses on our E-learning Center.
ACADEMIC COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT (Spring 2009): SPH 539 - Topics in Public Health Preparedness
November 25, 2008 -A three credit graduate level course Topics in Public Health Preparedness will be offered Spring Semester 2009. The course will meet at the University at Albany School of Public Health every other Thursday starting January 22, 2009 and will incorporate web-based coursework and other assignments. Dr. Robert Westphal (former Director of the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness and Coordinator for BT Preparedness & Response Planning at the New York State Department of Health) will lead the discussion-based course providing a rich overview on a variety of public health emergency preparedness topics, including:
- Animals & Veterinary Preparedness
- Biological, Chemical, Nuclear, Radiological Response
- Emergency Epidemiology/Surge Planning
- Incident Command System (ICS)
- Pandemic Flu Planning for Colleges & Universities
- Point of Dispensing (POD)
- Risk Communication
- Special Needs Shelters (SpNS)
- Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
For more information about the course, please contact the Center for Public Health Preparedness at cphp@uamail.albany.edu
Credits can be applied to the Certificate in Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness or MPH program requirement. For more information visit http://www.albany.edu/sph/certificate/index.html
Certificate Program in PH Surveillance & Preparedness open for enrollment at the UAlbany SPH
November 18, 2008 -The Certificate Program in PH Surveillance and Preparedness requires the completion of 15 graduate course credits. Courses are offered online and in-class, and include:
EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I* (online and in-class)
EPI 605 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (in-class)
SPH 559 Emergency Preparedness: The Public Health Perspective (online)
SPH 559 Topics in Public Health Preparedness (in-class)
EHT 590 Introduction to Environmental Health* (online and in-class)
*Master of Public Health (MPH) core courses (6 credits) that may be applied towards an MPH
To obtain the certificate, each student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and file an application for Certificate completion within four years of admission.
Note: Students can take a maximum of two courses before applying and being admitted into the program. Course waivers can be obtained only through prior approval. There is a transfer credit limit of one course (3 credits). Students who are enrolled in a School degree program and would like to pursue the certificate degree can do so if they fulfill the above-mentioned requirements.
For more information, please contact Irina Khmelnitsky, MA - SPH Academic Programs Coordinator at ikhmelnitsky@uamail.albany.edu
Working in a POD e-learning Course
November 01, 2008 -The Center's Working in a POD e-learning course has been used as preparatory training for PODs held across at least five New York State county health departments, including Erie, Niagara, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schoharie. Results from a follow-up evaluation for the Erie Hepatitis-A POD held in February 2008 indicated that 96% of 92 staff members who completed the course prior to the event found the course helpful in fulfilling their role at the POD.
Various Medical Reserve Corp coordinators have also recommended this course as both a refresher and initial training tool for Rensselaer and Schoharie counties.
Evaluation results from 2,377 learners completing POD course have been strong overall: 91% strongly agreed or agreed that the course increased their level of knowledge, 92% strongly agreed or agreed that knowledge gained from the training will help them in their job, and 97% rated the overall training as good or excellent.
NYS DOH Community Engagement Meetings on Pandemic Influenza - April 2008
April 12, 2008 -The NYSDOH collaborated with the Keystone Center and other key partners in public health preparedness, including local health departments (Cortland, Chautauqua, and Nassau counties and the University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness) to host a daylong, four-site public engagement effort on April 12, 2008.
During the day, the themes of trust, stockpiling, becoming active in the community and self-reliance emerged. Through polling and discussion participants identified nine specific areas needs for at-risk populations during a pandemic. In summary, these are:
- Quality Public Health Information: Information about all aspects of pandemic planning should come from health care providers, hot lines, and community and governmental leaders.
- Stockpiling: Participants are confident in their ability to have in their own home a stockpile of appropriate food, supplies, and medicine if they are given information about how to do this and what necessities are needed. The pharmaceutical industry needs to be adapted to support/allow storage of emergency prescriptions. In addition, plans must be made to help those in the community for whom stockpiling might be difficult.
- Medication: Participant’s willingness to take and give their children medication that would save them but has not been proven safe would hinge on whether the benefits outweigh the risks, especially concerning children.
- Governmental Support: All levels of government must start building capacity and show how they treat all people equally and fairly in emergency public health (pandemic) planning and preparedness.
- Community Support: Communities need to begin active planning by drawing on interested individuals and networks to provide necessary education, support, and resources especially in the areas of childcare, food, water, and supplies.
- Health Care System: The health care system must address issues of aging workers and the policy for sick workers during a pandemic.
- Economics: Economics as a motivating factor for compliance must be examined.
- Personal Preparedness: Individuals must be motivated and informed to become prepared.
- Social Distancing: Individuals must be informed so that they can comply with social distancing measures. Individuals for whom this might be difficult need to be identified and preparations needed to be made so that these individuals have a back-up plan.
Both focus group participants and facilitators and note-takers commented that the day was am overwhelming success. They both thought that participants were interested and fully engaged. They appreciated the opportunity to share information and participate in state health decision planning. They made specific suggestions about the polling process and the structure of the day. Participants came away empowered, enthusiastic to help out in their community but wanting more in terms of resources and information.
These important insights will be considered as the NYSDOH continues its pandemic planning and preparedness process.
UAlbany CPHP Accomplishments as of March 2008
March 01, 2008 - AccomplishmentsThough the Center’s primary target audience includes New York State and local health department workers and their statewide responder partners, the majority of programs routinely reach both a national and international audience, including: ¨ Monthly Satellite Broadcast/Webcast Series o In 5th year of programmingo Reaches average of 6,000 viewers across 50 states and international sites each month (multiple Canadian sites view regularly and other sites occasionally, including U.S. military bases/territories in Guam and the Virgin Islands, India, Fiji, Uganda, Sweden and Australia)o Numerous academic, state and federal distance learning systems further disseminate § California Community Colleges Satellite Network (109 sites)§ Florida Distance Learning Satellite Network (87 sites)§ University of Alaska Television (57 sites)§ University of North Carolina at Charlotte Broadcast Communications (UNCC-TV accessible by 350,000 households in the Charlotte-area, including 25,000 students at UNC Charlotte, and many thousands more from multiple other colleges and K-12 schools)§ Department of Defense Medical Interagency Satellite Training Program§ Veterans Administration (covering three work shifts across four time zones)§ Adirondack Area Network o Archived videostream files have received more than 75,000 hits to date o More than 8,000 copies of programs in videotapes and DVD format have been distributed at no cost (and sold by the Public Health Foundation) to date o Awarded bronze Telly Award for the January 2006 satellite broadcast entitled Katrina: Planning for Special Needs Populationso Future (and select archived) programs will also be available in video pod cast format as of June 2008 ¨ Web-based Courseworko Self-paced, available 24/7, highly interactive and developed in line with competencies for emergency preparedness and terrorism readinesso More than 30,000 registered for nine web-based courses to date § Family Disaster Plan§ Field Epidemiology§ HazMat Transportation Incidents: Using the Emergency Response Guidebook§ Mass Dispensing: A Primer for Community Leaders§ Nuclear Terrorism: Pathways & Prevention§ Preparedness & Community Response to Pandemics§ Terrorism, Preparedness & Public Health: An Introduction§ Working in a Point of Dispensing (POD)§ Zoonosis, Preparedness & Public Healtho More than 13,000 completions to date (continuing education credits and certificates of completion issued)o Community Response to Pandemics course of particular interest world-wide, with 12,615 registered and 4,539 completions to date§ Interest in translation by USAID and PAHO§ Countless other academic institutions, health care and government agencies request use of material to support other training programs and courses o NACCHO, OSHA and WHOo NY SEMO and the Community Health Care Association of NYSo Cleveland State's Center for Emergency Preparednesso USA Prepare, National Emergency Response & Rescue Training Center, and the International Association of Fire Chiefso Health clinic in Tehran, Irano Produced in partnership with technological experts from PDP at the University at Albany Rockefeller College of Public Affairs o Of the nine additional courses currently proposed and/or under development, three are collaborative projects with NYCEPCE ¨ Academic Courseworko Certificate Program in Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness (15 credits)o Certificate for Public Health Fundamentals and Practice o Two to three online and classroom-based courses (3-credits) offered each year§ Emergency Preparedness: The Public Health Perspective online course§ Emergency Preparedness in Schools§ Broadcast Colloquium course (designed to reach working professionals – meets once monthly around satellite broadcast series)o Sponsor multiple graduate student internship projects per year§ Veterinary preparedness§ Use of personal protective equipment by fire and EMS responders§ Hazardous spills assessments and surveillance§ Continuity of operations ¨ Technical Assistance and Resourceso Between September 1, 2006 and January 15, 2008 the Center provided technical assistance for 16 drills and exercise-related activities across New York State§ For nine local health departments, NYS DOH, the Center for Disability Services and the University at Albany School of Public Health§ Assistance involved exercise design, implementation and evaluation services o In partnership with NYS, the Center assisted in the development of four onsite chemical & radiological awareness trainingso In partnership with the Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute, the Center assisted in the development of two onsite programs related to leadership and community preparedness in disasterso Developed PINATA: web-based resource center which houses reports, presentations, articles and websites addressing various public health preparedness related topics § Animals and Emergencies§ Drills and Exercises§ Incident Command System§ Pandemic Influenza§ Personal Preparedness§ School Preparedness and University Pandemic Planning
13,350+ public health professionals register for web-based Preparedness & Community Response to Pandemics course.
March 01, 2008 -Since its official public release in September 2005, over 13,356 public health professionals and their response partners have registered for the online Preparedness & Community Response to Pandemics course. The course has reached participants from all 50 states and international locations, including 750+ individuals from New York State. More than 5,000 individuals have completed the course and have received continuing education credit for successful completion of the course.
You can register and find more about this course here.
Along with our archived webcast, Avian Flu: State, National & Worldwide Response, originally aired on September 08, 2005, it is also currently being featured on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention avian influenza webpage under News & Highlights.
UAlbany SPH 3-credit graduate level online course, Spring 2009: Emergency Preparedness: The Public Health Perspective.
January 01, 2008 -The UAlbany School of Public Health hopes to offer the 3-credit graduate level online course titled Emergency Preparedness: The Public Health Perspective in Spring 2009.
Emergency Preparedness for Veterinarians - 8/06 Training DVD and Archived Webcast Available
July 02, 2007 -The University at Albany Center for Public Health Preparedness, with support from the New York State Capital District Veterinary Medical Society, offered a program funded by the New York Consortium for Emergency Preparedness Continuing Education entitled “Emergency Preparedness: Preventing Zoonotic Disease Transmission” on August 2, 2006. Presenters included Dr. Bryan Cherry, Public Health Veterinarian for the NYS Department of Health, Dr. David Chico, Emergency Preparedness Veterinarian for the NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets and Dr. Robert Westphal, Director of the UAlbany Center for Public Health Preparedness. Program topics included the incident command system, the impact of zoonotic disease on human populations, factors that promote disease transmission, veterinarians’ roles in disease outbreaks and agents of bioterrorism.
Seventy-five veterinarians, licensed veterinary technicians, and Community Animal Response Team members attended from 11 counties in upstate New York. Based on the program evaluation, all participants found the training to be valuable in increasing their knowledge of the topics presented.
A free copy of this program is available on DVD. To order, please visit http://tinyurl.com/td6qu.
This program is also available via webstreaming. To view, please visit http://www.informz.net/ualbany-sph/event.asp?eid=2095
Center Broadcast on Special Populations receives Bronze Telly Award
March 30, 2007 -The University at Albany Center for Public Health was awarded a bronze Telly Award for the January 2006 satellite broadcast/webcast, entitled Katrina: Planning for Special Needs Populations!
Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Since 1978, The Telly Awards mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 27th Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Entries are judged on a 10-point scale, with programs receiving a score of 9.0 or higher winning the highest honor of Silver Telly, and those scoring between 7.0 and 8.9 awarded Bronze for outstanding achievement. Click here for more information about the original broadcast and link to archived videostream.
