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199685 Building GIS capacity for chronic disease prevention: A powerful planning and policy toolset for community health professionals

Wednesday, November 11, 2009: 10:30 AM

Marie Lynn Miranda, PhD , Children's Environmental Health Initiative, Duke University, Durham, NC
Michele Casper, PhD , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Joshua Tootoo, MCP , Children's Environmental Health Initiative, Duke University, Durham, NC
Staff from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Michigan Department of Community Health are currently participating in a 24 month capacity building effort. The program is focused on building sustainable capacity for GIS based applications within state health departments as a means of increasing value and efficacy for chronic disease policies, plans and programs. To enhance integration across CDC-funded state programs for chronic disease prevention, participant teams from both states draw on personnel from: heart disease and stroke prevention, cancer, tobacco control, diabetes, maternal and child health, nutrition and physical activity, and injury programs.

This program is jointly administered by the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. The capacity building program includes an initial needs assessment, in-person and virtual comprehensive GIS training, and GIS applications development. All program stages are supported by continuous technical assistance. This program includes a web portal that delivers training materials and support, enhances synergies between participating health departments, and provides a feedback loop between the project guidance team and state health department teams.

Participants have now incorporated extensive GIS concepts into daily operations, resulting in new projects and approaches with high-impact implications for chronic disease planning and policy. Process evaluation of this project indicated that combining in-person and distance learning are effective training approaches. The availability of continuous technical assistance is critical for maintaining momentum

Learning Objectives:
Identify key components of GIS Capacity for community health planning and policy development Discuss key structural/organizational requirements for GIS sustainability and relevance for health planning and policy Assess the utility of a web-based research portal for enhancing information synthesis and exchange

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Michele Casper, PhD is an epidemiologist and Team Leader of the Small Area Analysis Team within the Division for Heart Disease and Prevention at the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Small Area Analysis Team conducts spatial analyses of heart disease and stroke and provides local estimates of the burden of heart disease and stroke to national, state and local health professionals and to the general public. In addition, Dr. Casper is engaged in enhancing the capacity for state and local agencies to integrate the use of geographic information systems into their ongoing activities to prevent heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Putting Community Health on the Map (Geographic Information Systems)
See more of: Community Health Planning and Policy Development