The Learning Agenda 2.0: An Approach to Facilitate Systems Change

Background: The public health (PH) workforce is currently facing many complex challenges that stand at the root of community health issues (e.g., racism, poverty, mental health). Existing PH workforce development models focus largely on improving individual competency, but individual competency alone cannot address these complex challenges at the individual, organizational, community, and systems levels. Developing the necessary cross-cutting skills (e.g., systems thinking, persuasive communication, problem solving) requires a new approach to training and learning. Method: The Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change (PHLASC) helps public health organizations and their partners use transformative, collective learning as a driver for systems change. By working through multiple learning approaches and learning opportunities focused on a community or systems challenge, PH and community partners can develop a Learning Agenda that will lead to systems change. Developed by the HRSA-funded Public Health Training Centers and the University of Illinois at Chicago Policy, Practice and Prevention Research Center, the PHLASC calls on workforce development specialists, public health practitioners and their partners to shift their “starting point” for developing learning. Rather than developing learning in response to individual competency gaps, the Learning Agenda begins with defining the challenge standing at the root of the community health issue to be addressed. Results: During the summer of 2021, 24 organizations of varying size and focus field-tested the Learning Agenda. Results from the pilot study were reviewed by a national Steering Committee who provided recommendations for improvements. These recommendations and examples of the Learning Agenda’s earliest uses will be shared. Conclusion: This interactive workshop will introduce the PHLASC and tools available to support workforce development specialists and PH professionals. Following a brief presentation of the Learning Framework and concept of the PHLASC, participants will work individually and in small groups to practice using the Learning Agenda Toolkit

Meeting the Public Health Workforce’s Training Priorities in Georgia and the Southeast

Background: The mission of the Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC) is to build knowledge and skills in the public health workforce in the eight states of HHS Region IV by providing competency-based training. Workforce training needs are changing quickly and dramatically in light of new developments in public health practice and science, emerging diseases, changes in the health care environment, and the growing emphasis on inter-professional practice. Additionally, a 2014 survey conducted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) found that at least 38% of the current public health workforce plans to retire by 2020. Therefore, it is increasingly crucial to prepare upcoming managers for leadership positions and to train entry-level workers to assume more advanced roles. Methods: To address current and emerging training needs in Georgia and the southeast, the R-IV PHTC continually identifies emerging priorities and effective training approaches. It explores training needs through a review of formal needs assessments, key stakeholder interviews, surveys of targeted audiences, informal partner communications, and training evaluation data. An interactive component of the GPHA session allowed participants to identify and discuss their own professional training needs. Results: Workforce development needs assessments data across several southeastern states identified recurring training needs for professionals in Tiers 1, 2 and 3 of the Council on Linkages Core Competency domains for Analytical/Assessment Skills and Financial Planning/Management. In Georgia, top competency training needs gathered from a variety of assessment methods included Cultural Competency, Communication, Financial Planning/Management, Public Health Science, and Leadership/Systems Thinking. Participants in the workshop’s interactive component expressed highest personal need for training in Financial Planning/Management, Analytical/Assessment Skills, and Policy Development/Program Planning. However, for others in their organizations, they identified a priority need for leadership training. Conclusions: The R-IV PHTC assesses training needs and provides training resources to respond to current and emerging public health workforce development needs in Georgia and the southeast

A Region-Wide Field Placement Program Built on the Foundation of Mentorship and Professionalism

Background: The Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC) provides public health students from the eight states of HHS Region IV with essential practice experiences that demonstrate the value of working with underserved populations. The Pathways to Practice Scholars field placement program is built on a foundation of mentorship, professionalism, and community. Methods: Sixteen student scholars (13 graduate; 3 undergraduate) were selected to work during May-August 2015 in practiceoriented agencies serving underserved populations. Each scholar received a $1500 living allowance. Seven of 16 accepted an internship outside the state of their university. In conjunction with mentors, Scholars developed work plans based on Council on Linkages Core Competency domains. Requirements included a pre-, mid- and post-assessment, an executive summary/reflection, and a virtual webinar presentation. Results: Student Scholars worked at sites across eight states in state or local health departments, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), and healthcare settings. Students identified Core Competency domains they developed most during the field placement: Communication, Analytical/Assessment, Leadership/Systems Thinking, and Community Engagement. The R-IV PHTC asked mentors to treat interns as valued employees and include them in activities beyond their specific project. Indicators of successful mentorship included expressed appreciation for student assistance and the desire to enrich the student experience while benefiting the agency mission. Mentors provided clearly defined projects for a short timeframe (10-12 weeks), adjusted to the students’ capacity and readiness, and offered opportunities to apply classroom skills to practice. They helped students develop immediately useful products in collaboration with community stakeholders. Conclusions: Mentors play a crucial role in the development and success of field placement students, but students and mentors share equal responsibility in fostering the relationship. Past case studies from this program demonstrate that some students find employment in these same agencies after graduation, and become mentors for future students, thus, creating a self-perpetuating learning community

Enhancing the Future Public Health Workforce Through Competency-Based Student Field Placements

Background: The Public Health Workforce Interest and Needs (PHWINS) 2014 survey from ASTHO (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials) demonstrated a dramatic need for succession planning and retention of the future public health workforce. To address this need, the Region IV Public Health Training Center’s (R-IV PHTC) Pathways to Practice Scholars Program places students from accredited schools and programs of public health into practical field placement positions across eight states. Skill- and competency-based student field placements reinforce the value of working with medically underserved areas/populations (MUA/Ps) through public health agencies. Field placements use adult learning theory through experiential learning to build essential skills from the Council on Linkage (COL) core competencies. Methods: Host agencies include state and local health departments, Area Health Education Centers, primary care settings, and community organizations in one of eight southeastern states serving MUA/Ps. Agencies propose practical projects using COL domains. Proposals are converted to job postings. Once an agency selects a student, the team collaboratively develops a detailed work plan using specific COL competencies. Results: A brief overview of evaluation findings will be shared but are not the focus of this workshop. Evaluation instruments included a pre-survey, work plan, mid-term survey, final evaluation, and alumni survey. Students submit a final report, reflection summary, webinar presentation and/or abstract worthy of submission to a professional conference. Findings demonstrated increases in students’ perceived ability to perform core competencies and future plans to work in MUA/Ps. Conclusions: This program builds leadership and real-world experience in the future workforce while serving immediate needs of public health agencies. The workshop focuses on interactive discussion about processes and tools to create COL competencybased field placement position descriptions and detailed work plans. Participants can engage in dialogue about developing student positions which enhance their work while training the future workforce

Helping Public Health Professionals Access Infectious Disease Trainings and Resources: The Region IV PHTC Infectious Diseases Training Database

Background: The Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC), located at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, has a mission that includes providing training and educational offerings to strengthen the competency of the current public health workforce in HHS Region IV (which includes GA). Additionally, the R-IV PHTC has been charged with serving as a national resource in the area of infectious disease. To fulfill this charge, the R-IV PHTC conducted an environmental scan to identify and increase access to existing infectious disease trainings and resources currently available to the public health workforce. Methods: From June 2015 – February 2016, the R-IV PHTC systematically reviewed infectious disease-related trainings developed by credible organizations between 2011-2015. We reviewed the websites and learning management systems of 73 different organizations including but not limited to the TrainFinder Real-time Affiliated Integrated Network (TRAIN), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and other PHTCs. Trainings were identified utilizing several search terms including infectious disease, vaccination, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), Ebola, measles, etc. Results: Altogether, the R-IV PHTC identified over 500 training programs and resources in our designated content area of Infectious Disease developed by other public health organizations between 2011-2015. The final trainings are available in an easy-to-use searchable database and can be filtered by sponsor, title, year, provision of continuing education credits, addressed competencies, cost, length, infectious disease category, and modality. The database will be updated at least once yearly to ensure currency. Conclusions: This poster will describe the methodology that the R-IV PHTC used to conduct an environmental scan of infectious diseases trainings. In addition, the poster will explain how to locate and access infectious disease trainings in one database on the R-IV PHTC website using a variety of search filters

Correlates of women's cancer screening and contraceptive knowledge among female emergency department patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lack of knowledge regarding preventive health services for women might impede campaigns to expand these services in the emergency department setting. For 18–55-year-old English-speaking women visiting an urban emergency department, we aimed to: (1) Ascertain their knowledge regarding the applicability, purpose, and recommended intervals of three women's cancer screening and three contraceptive methods; and (2) Determine if patient age, race/ethnicity, medical insurance status, and current or recent usage of these methods are associated with greater or lesser knowledge about them.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Emergency department-based survey on recent or current usage and knowledge about Pap smears, breast self-examinations, mammograms, condoms, birth control, and emergency contraception. Analyses included calculation of summary statistics and creation of multivariable logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 1,100 patients eligible for the study, 69.9% agreed to participate. Most of the participants were < age 35, white, single (never married and no partner), Catholic, and had private medical insurance. Participant's recent or current usage of a particular cancer screening or contraceptive method varied by type of method: Pap smear within the past year (69.1%), breast self-exam within the past month (45.5%), mammogram within the past year (65.7% for women age 45–55), condom usage during every episode of sexual intercourse (15.4%), current usage of birth control pills (17.8%), and ever use of emergency contraception (9.3%). The participants correctly answered 87.9% of all survey questions about condoms, 82.5% about birth control pills, 78.5% about breast self-exams, 52.9% about Pap smears, 35.4% about mammograms, and 25.0% about emergency contraception. In multivariable logistic regression models, survey participants who had private medical insurance and those who recently or currently used a given screening or contraceptive method had a greater odds of correctly answering all questions about each cancer screening or contraceptive method.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although these female ED patients demonstrated strong knowledge on some women's cancer screening and contraceptive methods, there were several areas of knowledge deficit. Women without private medical insurance and those who have not used a particular cancer screening or contraceptive method demonstrated less knowledge. Reduced knowledge about women's cancer screening and contraceptive methods should be considered during clinical encounters and when instituting or evaluating emergency department-based initiatives that assess the need for these methods.</p

A Drive Through Web 2.0: An Exploration of Driving Safety Promotion on Facebook™

This study explored Facebook™ to capture the prevalence of driving safety promotion user groups, obtain user demographic information, to understand if Facebook™ user groups influence reported driving behaviors, and to gather a sense of perceived effectiveness of Facebook™ for driving safety promotion targeted to young adults. In total, 96 driving safety Facebook™ groups (DSFGs) were identified with a total of 33,368 members, 168 administrators, 156 officers, 1,598 wall posts representing 12 countries. A total of 85 individuals participated in the survey. Demographic findings of this study suggest that driving safety promotion can be targeted to young and older adults. Respondents\u27 ages ranged from 18 to 66 years. A total of 62% of respondents aged ≤24 years and 57.8% of respondents aged ≥25 years reported changing their driving-related behaviors as a result of reading information on the DSFGs to which they belonged. A higher proportion of respondents ≥25 years were significantly more likely to report Facebook™ and YouTube™ as an effective technology for driving safety promotion. This preliminary study indicates that DSFGs may be effective tools for driving safety promotion among young adults. More research is needed to understand the cognition of Facebook™ users as it relates to adopting safe driving behavior. The findings from this study present descriptive data to guide public health practitioners for future health promotion activities on Facebook™

A Region-Wide Field Placement Program Built on the Foundation of Mentorship and Professionalism

Background: The Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC) provides public health students from the eight states of HHS Region IV with essential practice experiences that demonstrate the value of working with underserved populations. The Pathways to Practice Scholars field placement program is built on a foundation of mentorship, professionalism, and community. Methods: Sixteen student scholars (13 graduate; 3 undergraduate) were selected to work during May-August 2015 in practiceoriented agencies serving underserved populations. Each scholar received a $1500 living allowance. Seven of 16 accepted an internship outside the state of their university. In conjunction with mentors, Scholars developed work plans based on Council on Linkages Core Competency domains. Requirements included a pre-, mid- and post-assessment, an executive summary/reflection, and a virtual webinar presentation. Results: Student Scholars worked at sites across eight states in state or local health departments, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), and healthcare settings. Students identified Core Competency domains they developed most during the field placement: Communication, Analytical/Assessment, Leadership/Systems Thinking, and Community Engagement. The R-IV PHTC asked mentors to treat interns as valued employees and include them in activities beyond their specific project. Indicators of successful mentorship included expressed appreciation for student assistance and the desire to enrich the student experience while benefiting the agency mission. Mentors provided clearly defined projects for a short timeframe (10-12 weeks), adjusted to the students’ capacity and readiness, and offered opportunities to apply classroom skills to practice. They helped students develop immediately useful products in collaboration with community stakeholders. Conclusions: Mentors play a crucial role in the development and success of field placement students, but students and mentors share equal responsibility in fostering the relationship. Past case studies from this program demonstrate that some students find employment in these same agencies after graduation, and become mentors for future students, thus, creating a self-perpetuating learning community

Meeting the Public Health Workforce’s Training Priorities in Georgia and the Southeast

Background: The mission of the Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC) is to build knowledge and skills in the public health workforce in the eight states of HHS Region IV by providing competency-based training. Workforce training needs are changing quickly and dramatically in light of new developments in public health practice and science, emerging diseases, changes in the health care environment, and the growing emphasis on inter-professional practice. Additionally, a 2014 survey conducted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) found that at least 38% of the current public health workforce plans to retire by 2020. Therefore, it is increasingly crucial to prepare upcoming managers for leadership positions and to train entry-level workers to assume more advanced roles. Methods: To address current and emerging training needs in Georgia and the southeast, the R-IV PHTC continually identifies emerging priorities and effective training approaches. It explores training needs through a review of formal needs assessments, key stakeholder interviews, surveys of targeted audiences, informal partner communications, and training evaluation data. An interactive component of the GPHA session allowed participants to identify and discuss their own professional training needs. Results: Workforce development needs assessments data across several southeastern states identified recurring training needs for professionals in Tiers 1, 2 and 3 of the Council on Linkages Core Competency domains for Analytical/Assessment Skills and Financial Planning/Management. In Georgia, top competency training needs gathered from a variety of assessment methods included Cultural Competency, Communication, Financial Planning/Management, Public Health Science, and Leadership/Systems Thinking. Participants in the workshop’s interactive component expressed highest personal need for training in Financial Planning/Management, Analytical/Assessment Skills, and Policy Development/Program Planning. However, for others in their organizations, they identified a priority need for leadership training. Conclusions: The R-IV PHTC assesses training needs and provides training resources to respond to current and emerging public health workforce development needs in Georgia and the southeast