Recorded presentation

Yael Hoffman, MPH, MSW¹, Rosemarie Rowney, MPH, RN¹, Cammie Marti, MPH, RN², and Mark J. Bertler, BA, CAE³. (1) Academic Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of Michigan, 2510 SPH I, 109 S. Observatory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, 734-615-9057, yhoffman@umich.edu, (2) Office of Public Health Preparedness, Michigan Department of Community Health, 3423 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., P.O. Box 30195, Lansing, MI 48909, (3) Michigan Association for Local Public Health, P.O. Box 13276, Lansing, MI 48901

Bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response efforts have highlighted the need for diverse partnerships among stakeholder organizations and communities as never before. Communication and coordination among federal agencies and first responder groups must be strengthened to avoid potential duplication of effort and waste of taxpayer monies. State and local government agencies are learning effective strategies to increase communication and coordination in pursuit of the common objective of preparedness; similar to the federal level, state and local agencies may find that marriages between formerly independent entities that have not historically worked together may be difficult alliances to build.

At the outset, forming cross-agency and community relationships was a top priority for the Michigan Academic Center for Public Health Preparedness (A-CPHP) and our partners, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and the Michigan Association for Local Public Health (MALPH). Michigan has experienced successful cross-agency relationships among preparedness training agencies, as demonstrated by ongoing programmatic accomplishments such as joint onsite and distance training planning and exercising, and joint financial contributions for training endeavors. This coordination among state and local government agencies with academia has minimized duplication of efforts and maximized the value of the taxpayer training dollar for preparedness planning in the state of Michigan. The Michigan A-CPHP, MDCH, and MALPH collaboration was recognized in 2003 with the first prize Public Health Foundation Linkages Award.

The public health community will benefit from best-practice learning regarding partnership formation and its value for preparedness efforts; the Michigan experience offers one example of a successful partnership.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• Discuss the Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies for all Public Health Workers
• Identify strategies used to forge positive public health alliances in Michigan
• Recognize how academia and public health practice can jointly contribute to emergency preparedness planning and training

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Disasters

Related Web page: www.mipreparedness.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of Michigan School of Public Health Academic Center for Public Health Preparedness Michigan Department of Community Health Office of Public Health Preparedness Michigan Association for Local Public Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation