The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49946

Suela Kaba, MD, MPH and Zarnaaz Rauf, MPH. Research and Evaluation, National Association of County and City Health Officials, 1100 17th Street, NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 783-5550, skaba@naccho.org

As local public health agencies serve on the frontlines to respond to threats of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies, many are looking for guidance to enhance their bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response. Most health departments lack modern electronic systems for prompt disease detection, whether related to a bioterrorist incident or daily threats to the population’s health. Local public health systems are largely unprepared to respond to public health emergencies even when they are detected. In response to these needs and in an effort to stimulate advancement of methods and experiences, three local public health agencies were selected by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC in September 1999 to serve as Local Centers for Public Health Preparedness. These centers are DeKalb County Board of Health (Georgia), Denver Health (Denver County, Colorado), and the Monroe County Health Department (New York). The three sites serve as a learning resource for other local public health agencies as they work to improve their integrated communications and information systems across multiple sectors, advanced operational readiness assessment, and comprehensive training and evaluation activities. The Nation Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), in collaboration with CDC, has been tasked with analyzing the lessons learned from the local centers during the project period and disseminating these lessons and best practices to the local health agencies and the broader public health community. During this session, participants will learn about some of these best practices and lessons learned experienced during the three-year project period.

Learning Objectives: