A partnership between Saint Louis University School of Public Health and the St. Louis County Department of Health to fight the flu has won a prestigious award from two regional public health groups.

The Missouri-Illinois Public Health Officials and the local chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Immunology (APIC) recognized the "No Flu for You" campaign and research project with its 2011 "Partnership Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service in Preventing Disease."

Each year, one Missouri or Illinois collaboration receives this award, which historically is given to hospitals or infection prevention professionals who have shown exemplary collaboration with a health department.

"St. Louis County and the nation have identified influenza education as a critical area. Typically a low percentage health professionals and workers don't receive the influenza vaccine if they aren't mandated to do so," said Kate Wright, Ed.D., MPH, director of the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University School of Public and associate professor of health management and policy.

"Ultimately the goal of the regional campaign is to increase compliance and prevent the spread of influenza and assure that the workforce will be protected and able to work during times of pandemic and seasonal flu."

The School of Public Health and St. Louis County collaborated on research that examined whether health care workers received the H1N1 influenza vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine. Then they designed a web-based campaign and associated products to inform an array of constituents - national and local policy leaders; employees of professional organizations; health care workers; and government officials - on why employees should get vaccinated against influenza. They also included a framework to development policy-based vaccinated campaigns.

The website provides one place for all flu information and includes a searchable database on where flu vaccines are available; recent news stories about flu; samples of effective vaccination campaigns; a compilation of laws and policies on flu vaccination; best practice models research on the cost and benefit of vaccinating the health care workforce.

"We've designed the website to appeal to thought leaders who need to make informed decisions about protecting people from influenza," said Wright. "Our goal is to reduce misinformation and eliminate barriers that stand in the way of protecting health care workers from getting flu vaccines, which ultimately will stop the spread of disease. We are providing those who lead health care workers with the best possible resources so they can create sound employee immunization programs based on real information."

Wright and Terri Rebmann, PhD., associate professor and infectious disease specialist at SLU's Institute for Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness, were co-principal investigators on the project. Mike Thomas, MPH, associate director of the Heartland Center at SLU, served as project coordinator for the project in collaboration with partners from the St. Louis County Department of Health.

The Heartland Education and Training Center supported the School Nurse Emergency Care (SNEC) workshop in Jefferson City, Missouri on August 11 & 12, 2011. The two-day workshop offered its 40 participants the opportunity to engage in emergency scenarios and prepare themselves for such events.

Presentations and breakout sessions covered various topics related to emergencies and the school nurse’s primary responsibilities:

• Determining the school nurse’s role in crisis/ disaster management
• Understanding the legal liabilities of providing emergency care at school
• Planning and providing emergency care at school
• Making triage decisions
• Evaluating and addressing emergencies involving musculoskeletal trauma; respiratory problems; abdominal and genitourinary complaints; eye, ear, nose and throat problems; and neurological complaints
• Identifying and responding to diseases that may be a result of biologic, chemical and radiological terrorism.

A certificate of completion was given to all 40 participants who attended both days of the workshop.

For more information about this workshop, please contact Alexis Bruce-Staudt at abrucest@slu.edu or 314-977-8145.

The Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University School of Public Health completed a Health Care Workforce Influenza Vaccination Project for the St. Louis County Department of Health on July 31, 2011.

The six-month project addressed a major problem in influenza vaccinations: despite ongoing recommendations from national health authorities and professional health organizations that the health care workforce (HCW) be vaccinated annually for influenza, HCW vaccination coverage has not exceeded 49% in any season. The priority for this project was to identify and increase influenza uptake behavior for HCW employed in the St. Louis region.

HCPHP developed a questionnaire and survey to determine the uptake and compliance rates for Influenza A (H1N1) Vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine (injection and nasal administration) among non-hospital based HCW employed in the St. Louis region. The data collected from this assessment helped to develop educational tools and an influenza vaccination campaign entitled "NoFluForYou." The website for this campaign was recently launched with a mission to increase influenza vaccination rates among health care workers by providing their leaders with the best possible resources to create scientifically sound employee immunization policies and implement education campaigns that reduce misinformation and perceived barriers. In addition to the website, Heartland Centers coordinated a Campaign Kick-Off Leadership Summit which was held on July 29, 2011.

For more information about this project, please contact Michael Thomas, MPH at thomasmw@slu.edu or 314-977-4350.

During their monthly Webinar Series, the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University School of Public Health presented the St. Louis Area Regional Response System: Development of the St. Louis Medical Operations Center (SMOC) on July 25, 2011.

The program provided an awareness of the core concepts and structure of the Regional Healthcare Coordination Plan (PHCP) and the St. Louis Medical Operations Center (SMOC). Deborah Beezley, Director of Health Information Management, at St. Anthony’s Medical Center discussed the process and strategies for implementation of the SMOC and other highlights from the Standard Operating Guidelines. In addition, presenters addressed the mobilization of Duty Officers and lessons learned from recent high consequence events (i.e., ice storm and blizzard impacting the region in January 2011 and a recent F-4 tornado hitting the St. Louis International Airport and surrounding communities) affecting the St. Louis Region.

The Heartland Centers developed the Webinar Series in July 2010 to educate professionals and initiate discussion about emerging issues in the field of public health, especially public health preparedness and training.

If you missed this Webinar session or would like to review older sessions, click here to view the archived event.

TheHeartland Center for Public Health Preparedness and Heartland the Public Health Education and Training Center co-sponsored the 2011 Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) Public Health Preparedness Conference, Call to Action: Planning for Threats and Responses. Over 350 Missouri public health and healthcare professionals attended the two-day conference in Columbia Missouri on June 28 – 29, 2011.

With renowned speakers and dynamic presentations, the conference offered information on a myriad of topics: the science of earthquakes, Strategic National Stockpiling (SNS), social media and public health, radiation response and more.

The Heartland Centers’ co-sponsorship provided the resources to bring in a key speaker for the conference, Hal Grieb. Mr. Grieb has spoken at events nationwide on social media and preparedness. He is currently an Implementation Manager at Previstar and was the 2011 Statesman Texas Social Media Award Winner for Government use in Social Media. He plays an integral role in the Department of Homeland Security’s social media research and commitees and has enhanced emergency management in various local and tribal governments.

To view Mr. Grieb’s presentation and full conference evaluations, please visit the MDHSS site.

The second session for Cycle XV of the Missouri Public Health Leadership Institute (MOPHLI) provided 16 fellows with interactive leadership development training. Fellows assembled on June 22 &ndash 24, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri for presentations from various researchers and practitioners in the field and to engage in self-assessment opportunities.

MOPHLI, sponsored in part by the Heartland Public Health Education & Training Center, enhances the current skills and knowledge of MDHSS managers and public health agency administrators through a year-long curriculum that includes personal growth experiences, conceptual development, peer and evaluator feedback, and skill building. This session focused on several topics based on the curriculum goals including, An Introduction to Ethics, Personal Development Process and Plan with Self-Assessment Feedback, Systems Thinking and Organizational Learning, and Collaborative Leadership. Key speakers included Dr. Donna Werner, St. Louis Community College; Nancy Tolliver, Tolliver Consulting; Sherry Immediato, Heaven & Earth Incorporated; and Jeff Wilson, HCA Virginia Health System.

Cycle XV fellows will continue with the MOPHLI program by participating in various projects, self-assessments, WebEx sessions, and one more in-person event before their graduation from the Institute in February 2012.

To learn more about MOPHLI, please visit the website.

At Heartland Centers’ monthly Webinar Series, the session entitled Evolution of the Public Health EOC drew participants nationwide as Dave Cox, Deputy Director of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department shared his expertise.

On June 23, 2011 Mr. Cox communicated his experience in the design and management of an Emergency Operation Center (EOC) to coordinate incident command functions during public health emergencies and other high consequence events. The main goal for this crucial emergency management structure is to serve as an effective and efficient facility for coordinating emergency response efforts. Mr. Cox also discussed how he recently transformed the EOC to integrate the public health’s needs with those of other response agencies. Key components of this newly designed EOC included a multifaceted Public Health Command Post, a Medical Emergency Response Center, a 2-1-1 Call Center, and a Public Health Call Center.

Since 2001, Mr. Cox has been specializing in emergency operations through his work with the Emergency Preparedness Program at the Tulsa Health Department, where he successfully designed and constructed an EOC in response to 9/11. Mr. Cox is currently overseeing the design and construction of a new regional health center in Oklahoma City and is using lessons learned from his experience in Tulsa to develop the next generation EOC model for Public Health.

For more information about the Webinar Series or to view this archived event, please visit the website.

On June 16, 2011, Michael Thomas, MPH, Heartland Centers Associate Director led the 2011 Faith Based Preparedness Conference entitled “Preparing Our Faith Based Communities for Disasters: What and How Part 1” at Saint Louis University in DuBourg Hall. This conference was hosted and sponsored by the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness (HCPHP), the Heartland Public Health Education and Training Center (HETC), and the St. Louis Region Faith Based Partners.

The conference provided basic information on emergency response and preparedness, including developing personal and family plans; the process of conducting functional needs assessments within their congregations; and solidifying their roles and responsibilities during an emergency.

Approximately 105 church participants attended the six-hour conference representing 75 St. Louis area congregations. Community partners in public health, emergency management, and social service agencies also attended. The St. Louis Region Faith Based Partners are currently following-up with the churches on requested services in areas of preparedness, CERT training, volunteer support, and sheltering activities.

Many local organizations and government agencies contributed time, resources, and speakers for this one-of-a-kind event including The City of St. Louis, the City of St. Louis Department of Health, Saint Louis County Health Department, the City of St. Louis Emergency Management Agency, the State of Missouri Emergency Management Agency, United Way of Missouri, United Way of Greater St. Louis and the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter.

The St. Louis Region Faith Based Partners include a group of community organizations and government agencies committed to helping the surrounding areas with disaster preparation. The group includes Lane Tabernacle C.M.E. Church, The Church of the Latter-day-Saints, Deaconess Parish Nurse Ministries, St. Louis Archdiocesan System, St. Louis Muslim Network, Health Visions East St. Louis, St. Louis City Department of Health, St. Louis City Department of Human Resources, St. Louis City Emergency Management Agency, St. Louis County Department of Health, St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management, Missouri Emergency Management Agency, United Way of Greater St. Louis, United Way 211, American Red Cross, and Salvation Army.

For more information about this conference and the St. Louis Region Faith Based Partners, please contact Michael Thomas, MPH at thomasmw@slu.edu or 314-977-4350.

The National Public Health Leadership Development Network’s (NLN) held its annual conference in Oakland, California May 3 – 5, 2011. The NLN is housed at the Heartland Center for Public Health and Community Leadership (HCL), which maintains a mission to increase the competence of current and future public health leaders through development, implementation, and evaluation of leadership education and training programs and products.

A number of sessions were presented by 27 different speakers and panelists. Topics for the event included new directions for leadership development; program innovations in new models, content, media and learning activities; and investing in people, places and policies: implications for leadership development. Conference participants included 38 professionals from both public and private sectors of public health. Download the full conference agenda here.

In addition to the sessions, an annual awards luncheon honored leaders from around the country with the Balderson Leadership Awards. Click here for more details about this event.

Learn more about the NLN by visiting the website.

Each year an elite group of public health professionals is honored for guiding others in the field, whether through research, management or leadership development. This year was no different as public health leaders received honors at the National Public Health Leadership Development Network’s (NLN) Annual Conference Awards Luncheon featuring the Balderson Awards on May 4, 2011 in Oakland, California.

Announced awards and honors include leadership council inductees, the Balderson Award for Support of Public Health Leadership Development, and the Balderson Lifetime Public Health Leadership Award. The NLN Executive Committee Members and the Action Learning Coach and Action Learning program participants were also recognized at this event.

View the Balderson Leadership Council Inductees
View the Balderson Leadership Lifetime and Support Awardees

The Balderson Awardees represent a small number of individuals in the field of public health who remain a persistent voice for leadership development and who exemplify the characteristics of Tom Balderson (1949–2001). Balderson spent over 25 years working in various government agencies and was known for his exceptional dedication to public health leadership development. Those honored with Balderson Awards also embody his cherished traits: dedicated, patient, ethical, positive, attentive, passionate, loyal, and motivating.

For more information about the Balderson Awards and the NLN, please visit the website.