Partnerships for emergency preparedness: An academic and public health practice collaboration for needs assessment and course development

This presentation will describe a partnership between the Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness (MI-CPHP) and the Berrien County Health Department (BCHD). The partnership was initially formed to assist BCHD in its Project Public Health Ready application to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The MI-CPHP (based at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health) conducted a multi-method needs assessment engaging 87 of 123 (69%) BCHD employees in three focus group discussions and an on-line survey. The focus of these studies was to identify emergency preparedness training needs for the department's workforce. The Emergency Services Coordinator from the BCHD then worked with MI-CPHP faculty and staff to develop training courses to meet the identified needs of local health department employees. This collaboration produced an effective one-day training course focusing on the effects of radiological agents and the role of public health employees during a radiological emergency (delivered onsite twice and nationally via webcast). In addition the MI-CPHP worked with the BCHD and other public health leaders to develop and deliver an applied incident command course offered at six locations throughout the state. This partnership was a valuable endeavor for collaborating with the practice community and advancing preparedness efforts for the public health community. It was particularly successful because of the complementary knowledge and expertise each group brought to the table. The scope of the partnership has continued to expand as goals are achieved and new goals are formed.