Great work by Kammy Demello, a Masters of Public Health student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, funded by the NEPHTC field placement program, allowed the Bedford Board of Health to learn about perceptions of risk of tick exposure among its citizens.  As a result of Kammy’s surveys (which were completed by 2% of the town), the Board of Health knows that respondents:

• Want to become more educated about proper identification,
• Want more notification of high-risk areas in town, and
• Desire pesticide application to reduce tick burden.

These are actionable items, thanks to real public health work in the field.

“HRSA fund Field Placements because they are both are a good way to learn public health skills and they help medically underserved communities,” says Karla Todd, Program Manager for NEHPTC.

Kammy commented, “Participating in this project provided me with the necessary skills to create a needs assessment for a large community, and to explore prevention measures to combat the issue for the future.“

Kammy Demello’s report can be accessed here.