LI Course
CE Hours: 3 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: This institute will provide an overview and guidance for public health officials to replicate an innovative training series that builds organizational capacity to address health inequities. Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) created Public Health 101, a mandatory series of five modules, to address broad differences in staff knowledge and training. It has been estimated that 70% of public health department staff have received no formal training in public health. Moreover, analyses of Alameda County health status data showed glaring health inequities, and the critical need for public health staff to increase their knowledge and skills to help tackle these problems. ACPHD’s Public Health 101’s objectives are: 1) Ensure that staff have an understanding of the past, present and future of Public Health; 2) prepare ACPHD staff to address ongoing challenges; 3) ensure that ACPHD staff have common language and understanding of issues Public Health is facing; 4) engage ACPHD staff in developing strategies to address health inequities; 5) continue improving the quality of services provided to residents. Social determinants of health are incorporated throughout the series, including non-traditional areas of built environment, livability, social justice, community and cultural influences on health. Officials of Riverside County Department of Public Health (RCDOPH), concerned with health inequities in its population and impressed by the theory-driven training program developed by the ACPHD, began consulting with them about organizational transformation. Adapting materials to meet the needs of a socially and demographically dissimilar County, Riverside has gone through a staff-driven process to design, implement and evaluate this new approach to staff development. In both ACPHD and RCDOPH the facilitation approach draws on Paolo Freire’s theory of popular education. Modules are interactive and attempt to bring forth staff’s life experiences for more enriching learning experiences. Evaluation of PH 101 in both Alameda and Riverside Counties show increased staff understanding of public health systems, programs and services, and strategies to address health inequities. Instructors for this learning institute have led the inception, design, and implementation of the PH 101 training series across two diverse jurisdictions. They also bring extensive formal training in the fields of clinical services, cultural competency, health education, policy, epidemiology and anthropology. During this session, instructors will describe the rationale and approach for the Public Health 101 training series and basic content for each module. They will share content areas, explore challenges, lessons learned and keys to developing, implementing and evaluating training effectiveness.

Session Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to identify key learning objectives for a public health training curriculum that focuses on addressing health inequities. By the end of the session, participants will be able to name a set of public health topics and issues most appropriate for their specific health departments. By the end of the session learners will be able to list the steps and processes used by ACDOPH and RCDOPH in the development and adaptation of a staff-facilitated training series.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)