Announcing the Public Health Learning Network

To ensure the nation’s 500,000 public health professionals can respond rapidly to critical and ever-
evolving needs, the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT) has partnered
with the New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC) along with the nation’s nine other Regional Public Health Training Centers (RPHTCs) and 40 local performance sites (LPS) to develop a unified, national network—the Public Health Learning Network (PHLN).

Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the PHLN is thenation’s most comprehensive system of public health educators, experts, and thought leaders. The growing network aims to:

• Advance public health practice by enabling the sharing of best practices among Public Health Training Centers across the U.S.
• Improve population health in the United States through skills-based training and ongoing research in communities across the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. territories.
• Offer high quality, free, adaptable, and easy-to-access training tools available online and in-person.

As a collaborative network, the PHLN is here to support your educational and training needs and elevate the field of public health across the nation. Our free training opportunities are crosscutting, diverse, and tailored to the public health workforce of today and tomorrow.

For more information, visit nnphi.org/phln.

About the National Network of Public Health Institutes:

As the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training, the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) is a collaborative leader and facilitator of the PHLN. To build healthy communities, NNPHI supports the public health workforce, promotes collaboration across sectors, and drives the field towards cutting-edge research and practice. The Public Health Learning Network is supported by HRSA of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under HRSA-UB6HP27435.

NEPHTC Welcomes Two New Team Members!

The BUSPH Activist Lab (formerly the Office of Public Health Practice) is thrilled to introduce our newest full-time staff members: Liz Faye, Instructional Designer, and Liam Hunt, Educational Technologist.  

“Prior to joining us full-time,” states Assistant Director Jen Tsoi, “Liam and Liz were already valuable partners, integral to the successful design and implementation of the Activist Lab’s statewide workforce development initiatives.”   

Liz Faye has worked at BUSPH since 2007, as a Project Assistant, Researcher, Teaching Facilitator and Instructional Designer, where she developed online digital learning resources and content. She has worked on several online and blended trainings, such as MA PHIT Food and Housing. Simultaneously, Liz was a BUSPH student, and received her MPH in Environmental Health. 

In her full-time role with the Activist Lab’s Distance Education Team (a collaborative working group serving several workforce development/training grants and initiatives), Liz will be responsible for the instructional design and production of New England-wide, interactive training courses primarily in distance-based formats.  

Her key responsibilities include creating storyboards and producing distance-based training modules by converting the storyboards into web-based formats. She is also charged with developing training related materials; reviewing all existing training materials for relevance in teaching public health professionals; and working with Subject Matter Experts to identify specific skills and knowledge learners will need to meet public health competencies, and then ensuring the existing training materials meet those competencies. 

“I have been working with the Activist Lab in some form or fashion for several years, and it’s great to be on board with them full-time,” states Liz. “They are high-quality people with an impressive mission! My plan is to bring my public health experience and instructional design skills to the team and contribute to the production and development of high-quality, online training resources…and, of course, do whatever else that needs to be done!”  

Liam Hunt has been with Boston University since 2008, first as a web developer and designer for the Boston Healing Landscape Project, then as the interactive media producer for the School of Public Health. In that role, Liam built a virtual house for the MA PHIT Housing program and played a pivotal part in the creation of the Local Public Health Institute of MA’s learning management system. In short, Liam has been the Activist Lab’s “go to” person for audio and visual needs. 

In his new role – also with the Distance Education Team – Liam is charged with the production of a variety of trainings for the public health workforce across New England. He will produce and maintain online learning modules, including adapting content into online formats. He also will produce audio and video content; and provide training and support to other distance education team members on existing and new technology.

“I am very excited for this new opportunity with the BUSPH Activist Lab,” states Liam. “I am looking forward to continuing to improve the Audit House mobile application for the MA PHIT Housing program as well as exploring the potential for mobile applications in other spheres. I will also be using my photo and video skills to elevate the aesthetics of the online learning modules.” 

Accreditation Activities in New England

The Stratford Health Department (CT) and Worcester Division of Public Health/Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance (MA) are the latest New England based health departments to become accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).

The departments’ directors received the good news on March 14^th, and now join Norwalk Health Department (CT), Naugatuck Valley Health District (CT) – as well as the Vermont and Rhode Island Departments of Public Health – to be among only 117 of roughly 3,000 health departments nationwide to receive the highly regarded “accredited” moniker.

These 117 health departments serve approximately 154 million U.S. residents. (Another 178 health departments covering an additional 78 million people are in the process of applying for accreditation.)

According to the PHAB website, public health department accreditation is the “measurement of health department performance against a set of nationally recognized, practice-focused and evidenced-based standards…National public health department accreditation has been developed because of the desire to improve service, value, and accountability to stakeholders.” PHAB is jointly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Accreditation process. The rigorous accreditation process includes 5 steps:

1. The health department prepares and assesses readiness for application for accreditation, completes an online orientation, and informs PHAB of its intent to apply.
2. The health department submits a formal application and fee (based on population size served), and completes two-day in-person training.
3. The applicant selects documentation for each measure, and submits it to PHAB via an online portal. This is the meat of the process, and can take up to 12 months to complete.
4. PHAB-trained site visitors conduct a two- or three-day site visit of the health department, then develop a comprehensive report.
5. The PHAB Accreditation Committee then reviews the site visit report and determines whether or not to accredit the health department.

Once accredited, the health department is required to submit annual reports to PHAB. As accreditation status nears expiration (after 5 years), the health department applies for reaccreditation, which involves a similar process as that for the original accreditation.

Benefits of accreditation. According to a study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago of 28 health departments that have been accredited for one year, more than 95% report that accreditation has stimulated quality and performance improvement opportunities, allowed the health department to better identify strengths and weaknesses, improved management processes, stimulated greater accountability and transparency within the health department, and allowed the health department to document its capacity to deliver the three core functions and Ten Essential Public Health Services.

Reactions of awardees. Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance is a regional health district which provides a comprehensive array of services to partner municipalities through a single organization managed by the Worcester Division of Public Health. The partner municipalities are Grafton, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Shrewsbury, West Boylston and Worcester.

“The accreditation process helps to ensure that the programs and services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community,” stated Worcester Department of Public Health (WDPH) and CMRPHA Director Karyn Clark, Director. “With accreditation, WDPH/CMRPHA is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the public, funders, elected officials and partner organizations.”

The Worcester team submitted its initial application to PHAB in late 2013, then spent the next nearly two years ensuring its policies, plans, procedure, infrastructure, understanding of and responsiveness to its community met or exceeded the national standards. PHAB’s site visit team prepared a more than 100-page report to describe their findings. The three greatest areas of strength outlined in the report were: 1) the Division’s ability to engage the community and the depth and breadth of community partnerships, 2) the quality and passion of Division staff, and 3) the Division’s comprehensive workforce development program.

Stratford municipal leaders attribute their success to strong partnerships with several entities within the town – as well as joint service provision with neighboring towns of Trumbull, Monroe, Fairfield and Bridgeport.

“The process takes a village and we couldn’t have done it without support from the Town and our many community partners,” Stratford Health Department Director Andrea Boissevain said. “By continuing to embrace the ten essentials public health services (the foundation for the PHAB standards), we continue to play a critical role in protecting and improving the health of the Stratford community.”

Naugatuck Valley Health District, which became accredited in November 2015, serves residents of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, and Shelton.

“Whenever you see our seal of accreditation, you will know that Naugatuck Valley Health District has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health,” said Carissa Caserta, NVHD’s Assistant Director for Community Health. “By continuing to improve our services and performance, we can be sure we are meeting the public health needs of those we serve as effectively as possible.”

Managing Effectively in Today’s Public Health Environment

Managing Effectively in Today’s Public Health Environment is a course designed to strengthen participants’ management skills by providing information, skills, and tools/resources to manage effectively in today’s dynamic public health environment. Course topics include managing staff, creating and maintaining budgets, overseeing projects and project teams, running day-to-day operations, and overseeing office performance.

Many Massachusetts heads of local health agencies have professional and technical skills (i.e., public health nurses, environmental health professionals) but little education or experience with the management aspects of their positions. Essentially, many directors learn to manage ‘on the job’ while doing more with shrinking resources.

Last fall, 25 public health workers successfully completed all 14 course sessions, which included 12 live webinars and two classroom sessions. Each session also included pre-work and post-session assignments.

As part of the course, participants were assigned a mentor with whom he/she communicated throughout the training program. The mentors are current or former health directors from towns across the Commonwealth. Each mentor checked in with their students weekly, reviewed assignments, provided reminders when assignments were overdue, and met with students who were having trouble with the concepts.

The evaluation, conducted by consultant Hope Kenefick, PhD, included a series of online, self-administered evaluation tools designed to assess graduates’ changes in knowledge, satisfaction and perceived ability to perform course learning objectives.

Key findings include:

• Twenty-eight students began the course, and 25 completed all requirements, an 89.3% completion rate.
• 96% percent of graduates indicated their knowledge increased as a result of the course, and 96% would recommend the course to a colleague.
• 76% participants felt their mentor enhanced their course experience.
• 40% of participants indicated they would apply this training to a state or national certification.
• 32% indicated the course will help prepare them for a credential such as Certified Health Officer.
• Between 80% and 92% of students agreed that the instructors were well prepared; 84%-96% agreed that the instructors are knowledgeable; 76%-92% agreed that the instructors were easy to understand; and 76%-96% agreed the instructors encouraged questions.
• The highest rated course sessions were Recruiting and hiring – Getting the right people on the bus for both understandability of content and quality of activities/exercises; and Coaching, development and managing performance for content organization.
• For all three of the course’s learning objectives, the average student self-rating improved from before to after the training. Specifically, 96% rated themselves as improved in their ability to explain the need and urgency to manage differently in today’s environment; 88% improved in their ability to describe new information, tools, and resources to help manage more effectively; and 100% improved in their ability to better manage all aspects of public health organizations.

Based on these findings and other study results, Dr. Kenefick made several recommendations for course improvement, including reviewing and considering student suggestions for improvement.

Moving forward, the University of New England, a NEPHTC Local Performance Site, will be adapting six of the fourteen modules for the Maine public health workforce in the fall of 2016. Session titles include:

• Trends, opportunities and resistance: leading amidst constant change and the practice of resilience
• Recruiting and hiring: getting the right people on the bus
• Coaching, developing and managing performance
• Conflict management and collaboration
• Budget and financial management, Parts A & B (including Project Management)

For more information regarding the Management Course, please contact the NEPHTC Coordinator at nephtc@bu.edu.