National concern about the threats posed by terrorists using weapons of mass destruction is on the rise. Public health agencies would be one of the first to respond to threats of chemical and biological terrorism. In October 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided funds to develop “Centers for Public Health Preparedness,” demonstrating advanced applications of information technology (IT) and training in support of local public health agencies. Three sites were chosen: the Monroe County Health Department (Rochester, NY); DeKalb County Board of Health (Decatur, GA); and the Denver Public Health Department (Denver, CO). The purpose of this program is to create models for implementing IT and training in support of bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response, and to increase and enhance local health department capacity to respond to chemical and biological terrorism and other communicable disease threats. These sites will serve as learning resources for other local public health agencies. The role of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is to assist the CDC in analyzing and reporting the lessons learned from these sites during the project period, and to disseminate important best practices to a broader audience. Visits to the health departments at baseline and at the end of the project period were arranged to collect information on technology, personnel, activities, and evaluation plans. Once data have been examined, important best practices from these sites will be disseminated in the form of a report.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will (1) be familiar with Centers for Public Health Preparedness and the goal/purpose of the project, (2) recognize important best practices experienced from the sites during the project period in terms of enhancing the site’s capacity to respond to chemical and biological terrorism and other communicable disease threats, and (3) recognize and discuss lessons learned from the sites in regards to the enhancement of information technology and training in support of bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response
Keywords: Information Technology, Infrastructure
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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.