Let's go to the park today: the role of parks in obesity prevention and improving the public's health.

Let's go to the park today! This familiar phrase is heard routinely throughout the year in many U.S. households. Access to parks, trails, open spaces, and recreational facilities not only provides increased opportunities for children and adults to play and be physically active, but these venues also influence other behaviors. As the health and wellbeing of our children are impacted by the daily environment in which they live, learn, and play, the use of parks and other recreation spaces as a healthful venue is important to consider in a comprehensive view of childhood and family obesity prevention. This article briefly summarizes some of the obesity-related benefits of parks across the local, state, and national park systems and highlights specific initiatives as examples of the commitment by park agencies to benefit the public's health and play a role in obesity and chronic disease prevention.

Local health department responses during the 2004-2005 influenza vaccine shortage.

During the 2004-2005 influenza vaccine shortage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinated distribution of post-October 5th 2004 doses of influenza vaccine to state and local health departments (LHDs), who subsequently distributed vaccine to community providers. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) conducted three Web-based surveys throughout the 2004-2005 influenza season to assess in real-time how LHDs were 1) dealing with the vaccine shortage, 2) implementing the interim recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and 3) making efforts to reallocate and redistribute doses of influenza vaccine toward high-priority populations within their communities. This paper highlights LHD responses that alleviated adverse impacts during this public health emergency. The first survey asked LHDs to quantify their community's vaccine supply; the second survey asked them to describe their specific responses to the crisis; and the third survey asked them to reflect and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts to vaccinate high-priority groups during the crisis. Six hundred five (605) of 717 (84%) LHDs in 44 states responded to the three surveys. Results show that LHDs leveraged preparedness plans, formed strategic community partnerships, and practiced vaccination drills to address the problems of vaccinating high-priority and hard-to-reach populations that arose out of the vaccine shortage. The practices used by LHDs during this shortage may provide valuable response lessons to minimize the impact of future influenza vaccine shortages and other public health emergencies.

Influenza, local public health practice, and the necessary paradigm shift.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is the national organization representing local health departments. NACCHO supports efforts that protect and improve the health of all people and all communities by promoting national policy, developing resources and programs, seeking health equity, and supporting effective local public health practice and systems.

Local and state collaboration for effective preparedness planning.

State and local collaboration is critical to effective preparedness and response planning. Through various assessments, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is tracking the way in which local and state public health agencies are coordinating their planning efforts to ensure adequate bioterrorism and emergency response capacities. NACCHO's analysis of planning provides a case study of effective and ineffective collaboration. NACCHO intends to share these lessons to provide local and state public health agencies with strategies for enhancing collaboration in the future.