Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115656

Alberto J.F. Cardelle, PhD, MPH, Department of Public Health, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, 200 prospect Street, Denike Building, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, 570-422-3401, acardelle@po-box.esu.edu and Deidre Holland, MPH Program, East Stroudsburg University, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301.

Pennsylvania has 38 public health workers for every 100,000 persons. This is the lowest ratio in the country. The state has only 11 local health departments (LHDs) -- 6 at the county level and 5 at the municipal level. Since one of the essential functions of a Public health infrastructures is to “inform, educate, and empower people about health issues” it would follow that locales with limited infrastructure would be unable to “provide health information to enable individuals and groups, to make informed decisions about healthy living and lifestyle choices…”. This assessment compared the ease and accuracy of accessing basic public health information in counties and municipalities without LHD's as compared to counties and municipalities served by a LHD. In order to receive useful information in non-LHD counties callers had to make 20% more calls and received useful information in only 64% of the times. This is compared with locales served by LHDs which required fewer calls in order to receive useful information, and useful information was attained 100% of the times. This assessment shows that the potential for callers to receive useful public health information in LHD and non-LHD was impacted by both the higher number of calls that were required and in the diversity of places to which callers were referred. In locales without LHD structures the caller was much more likely to be referred to a non-public health entity, and was statistically less likely to get to speak to a public health professional early on in their inquiry.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand public health infrastrcuture components
• explore methods for evaluating public healths ervices
• learn about barriers to public health services

Keywords: Public Health Infrastructure, Public Health Administration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.