219487 Structural Capacity of Public Health Regional Surveillance Teams (PHRSTs)

Monday, November 8, 2010

Milissa Markiewicz, MPH, MIA , North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Jessica Sage, MPH candidate , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Jennifer Hegle, MPH , North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Jennifer A. Horney, PhD, MA, MPH, CPH , North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Allison George, MPH, MCHES, CPH , UNC Center for Public Health Preparedness, UNC at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Anne Marie Meyer, PhD , Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Pia D.M. MacDonald, PhD, MPH , North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
  
Many states created regional entities to better coordinate public health preparedness and response efforts, consolidate services, and supplement local capacity. In examining the impact of regionalization on local preparedness, few studies have measured the structural capacity of these entities.

In 2001, North Carolina established 7 Public Health Regional Surveillance Teams (PHRSTs) to support local public health capacity to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. A study aimed at measuring the structural capacity of the PHRSTs was undertaken by the North Carolina Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center in the NC Institute for Public Health at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Following an extensive literature review, the study team defined 5 dimensions of structural capacity relevant to the PHRSTs: human, fiscal, informational, physical, and organizational resources. Data was gathered on each dimension via a team-based paper survey, individual paper-based surveys, and in-person interviews with each team.

We describe variation among PHRSTs on the 5 dimensions of structural capacity. For example, although all teams began with the same staff composition, currently no 2 teams are structured the same. Further, teams receive varying levels of fiscal support from the state and their host local health department (LHD). Similar variation is seen regarding teams' informational, physical, and organizational resources. It is unclear how much variation across teams is acceptable or desirable to most effectively support local public health capacity.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe a regional public health entity and its structural capacity 2. Identify five structural capacity constructs relevant to public health regionalization 3. Discuss the impact of variation between regional teams on local public health preparedness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: data analysis, review of data collection documents, management of team conducting research
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.

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