Road map for leadership and management in public health: a case study on noncommunicable diseases program managers' training in Rwanda.

Ministries of Health (MoHs) and health organizations are compelled to work across sectors and build coalitions, strengthening health systems to abate the rise of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). A critical element of NCD prevention and control involves significant and difficult changes in attitudes, policies and protective behavior at the population level. The population-level impact of NCD interventions depends on the strength of the health system that delivers them. In particular, low-resource settings are exploring efficiencies and linkages to existing systems or partnerships in ways that may alleviate redundancies and high delivery costs. These entail complex operational challenges, and can only be spearheaded by a competent and passionate workforce. There is a critical need to develop and strengthen the management and leadership skills of public health professionals so that they can take on the unique challenges of NCD prevention and control. An added component must include a shift from the traditional clinical approach to a community-based effort, focusing heavily on health education and community norm change. Strengthening the work-force capacity of program managers at MoHs and other implementing institutions is key to capturing, analyzing, advocating and communicating information and will, in turn, reinforce the scale-up of interventions fostering a robust health system. This paper summarizes the best practices and lessons learned from the NCD Program Managers short course conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in December, 2016 in Rwanda.

Integrating Equity in a Public Health Funding Strategy.

OBJECTIVE: Equity can be valuable to guide decision makers about where to target funds; however, there are few studies for modeling vertical equity in public health program funding strategies. This case study modeled vertical equity in the funding strategy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Colorectal Cancer Control Program. DESIGN: To integrate vertical equity by using historical funding and health data, we (a) examined the need for colorectal cancer screening, (b) conducted multiple regressions to examine the relationship between factors of need and funding of states, (c) stratified states into similar need groups, (d) estimated vertical equity within groups, and (e) assessed equity in the funding distribution. RESULTS: Certain states with similar needs had high relative funding, whereas other states with similar needs had low relative funding. CONCLUSION: The methods used to integrate vertical equity in this case study could be applied in publicly funded programs to potentially minimize inequities and improve outcomes.

Data sources for identifying low-income, uninsured populations: application to public health-National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

OBJECTIVE: To provide information on the sources of data for estimating low-income, uninsured populations. To recommend uses of these data sources. To demonstrate the application of these data sources in the public health field, using the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program as an example. METHODS: We describe U.S. Census Bureau data sources for identifying low-income, uninsured populations using two population surveys: the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS ASEC) and the American Community Survey (ACS), and using one model-based estimation program, the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE). We provide recommendations for use of these data sources, and we use CPS ASEC and SAHIE to estimate the percent of U.S. women eligible for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). RESULTS: CPS ASEC, ACS, and SAHIE are produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, and they are reliable sources for estimates of the low-income, uninsured populations in the USA. Key characteristics of these three data sources were presented to highlight the strengths of each to meet the needs of various programs at national and local levels. Recommendations are made on the use of the data sources. Based on these three data sources, estimates of NBCCEDP eligibility showed substantial variation over time at the national and state levels, and across states and counties. CONCLUSIONS: Publicly funded programs that are directed toward low-income, uninsured individuals require information on their eligible populations to make decisions about program policy and resource allocation, and to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs. The U.S. Census Bureau produces three data sources (CPS ASEC, ACS, and SAHIE) for these estimates. The percent of U.S. women eligible for NBCCEDP varies over time and across states and counties. The data sources for these estimates are changing in order to measure key dimensions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and can provide helpful information for assessing the legislation's impact.

Breast cancer screening of underserved women in the USA: results from the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, 1998-2012.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the number and proportion of eligible women receiving mammograms funded by the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). METHODS: Low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women aged 40-64 are eligible for mammography screening through the NBCCEDP. We used data from the NBCCEDP, the Current Population Survey, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to describe the number and proportion of women screened by the NBCCEDP and overall. RESULTS: In 2011 and 2012, the NBCCEDP screened 549,043 women aged 40-64, an estimated 10.6 % (90 % confidence interval [CI] 10.4-10.9 %) of the eligible population. We estimate that 30.6 % (90 % CI 26.4-34.8 %) of eligible women aged 40-64 were screened outside the NBCCEDP, and 58.8 % (90 % CI 54.6-63.0 %) were not screened. The proportion of eligible women screened by the NBCCEDP varied across states, with an estimated range of 3.2 % (90 % CI 2.9-3.5 %) to 52.8 % (90 % CI 36.1-69.6 %) and a median of 13.7 % (90 % CI 11.0-16.4 %). The estimated proportion of eligible women aged 40-64 who received mammograms through the NBCCEDP was relatively constant over time, 11.1 % (90 % CI 10.2-11.9 %) in 1998-1999 and 10.6 % (90 % CI 10.4-11.9 %) in 2011-2012 (p = 0.23), even as the number of women screened increased from 343,692 to 549,043. CONCLUSIONS: Although the NBCCEDP provided screening services to over a half million low-income uninsured women for mammography, it served a small percentage of those eligible. The majority of low-income, uninsured women were not screened.

Cervical cancer screening of underserved women in the United States: results from the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, 1997-2012.

OBJECTIVE: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides breast and cervical cancer screens to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women. We describe the number and proportion of women eligible for cervical cancer screening services and the proportion of eligible women screened over the period 1997-2012. METHODS: Low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women aged 18-64 years who have not had a hysterectomy are eligible for cervical cancer screening through the NBCCEDP. We estimated the number of low-income, uninsured women using data from the US Census Bureau. We adjusted our estimates for hysterectomy status using the National Health Interview Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used data from the NBCCEDP to describe the number of women receiving NBCCEDP-funded screening and calculated the proportion of eligible women who received screening through the NBCCEDP at the national level (by age group, race/ethnicity) and at the state level by age group. We used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the proportion of NBCCEDP-eligible women who were screened outside the NBCCEDP and the proportion that are not screened. RESULTS: We estimate that in 2010-2012, 705,970 women aged 18-64 years, 6.5 % (705,970 of 9.8 million) of the eligible population, received NBCCEDP-funded Pap tests. We estimate that 60.2 % of eligible women aged 18-64 years were screened outside the NBCCEDP and 33.3 % were not screened. The NBCCEDP provided 623,603 screens to women aged 40-64 years, an estimated 16.5 % of the eligible population, and 83,660 screens to women aged 18-39 years, representing an estimated 1.2 % of the eligible population. The estimated proportions of eligible women screened in each state ranged from 1.5 to 32.7 % and 5 % to 73.2 % among the 18-64 and 40-64 years age groups, respectively. Changes in the proportion of eligible women screened over the study period were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: Although the program provided cervical screening to over 700,000 women between 2010 and 2012, it served a small percent of those eligible. The proportion of women screened varied substantially across age groups, racial/ethnic groups, and states. Many low-income, uninsured women are not being screened.

Establishment of an Ebola Treatment Unit and Laboratory - Bombali District, Sierra Leone, July 2014-January 2015.

The first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in Sierra Leone related to the ongoing epidemic in West Africa occurred in May 2014, and the outbreak quickly spread. To date, 8,704 Ebola cases and 3,955 Ebola deaths have been confirmed in Sierra Leone. The first Ebola treatment units (ETUs) in Sierra Leone were established in the eastern districts of Kenema and Kailahun, where the first Ebola cases were detected, and these districts were also the first to control the epidemic. By September and October 2014, districts in the western and northern provinces, including Bombali, had the highest case counts, but additional ETUs outside of the eastern province were not operational for weeks to months. Bombali became one of the most heavily affected districts in Sierra Leone, with 873 confirmed patients with Ebola during July-November 2014. The first ETU and laboratory in Bombali District were established in late November and early December 2014, respectively. T- evaluate the impact of the first ETU and laboratory becoming operational in Bombali on outbreak control, the Bombali Ebola surveillance team assessed epidemiologic indicators before and after the establishment of the first ETU and laboratory in Bombali. After the establishment of the ETU and laboratory, the interval from symptom onset to laboratory result and from specimen collection to laboratory result decreased. By providing treatment to Ebola patients and isolating contagious persons to halt ongoing community transmission, ETUs play a critical role in breaking chains of transmission and preventing uncontrolled spread of Ebola (4). Prioritizing and expediting the establishment of an ETU and laboratory by pre-positioning resources needed to provide capacity for isolation, testing, and treatment of Ebola are essential aspects of pre-outbreak planning.

Mapping stages, barriers and facilitators to the implementation of HEARTS in the Americas initiative in 12 countries: A qualitative study.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Hearts Initiative offers technical packages to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases through population-wide and targeted health services interventions. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has led implementation of the HEARTS in the Americas Initiative since 2016. The authors mapped the developmental stages, barriers, and facilitators to implementation among the 371 primary health care centers in the participating 12 countries. The authors used the qualitative method of document review to examine cumulative country reports, technical meeting notes, and reports to regional stakeholders. Common implementation barriers include segmentation of health systems, overcoming health care professionals' scope of practice legal restrictions, and lack of health information systems limiting operational evaluation and quality improvement mechanisms. Main implementation facilitators include political support from ministries of health and leading scientific societies, PAHO's role as a regional catalyst to implementation, stakeholder endorsement demonstrated by incorporating HEARTS into official documents, and having a health system oriented to primary health care. Key lessons include the need for political commitment and cultivating on-the-ground leadership to initiate a shift in hypertension care delivery, accompanied by specific progress in the development of standardized treatment protocols and a set of high-quality medicines. By systematizing an implementation strategy to ease integration of interventions into delivery processes, the program strengthened technical leadership and ensured sustainability. These study findings will aid the regional approach by providing a staged planning model that incorporates lessons learned. A systematic approach to implementation will enhance equity, efficiency, scale-up, and sustainability, and ultimately improve population hypertension control.

Access to Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension Medicines in Developing Countries: An Analysis of Essential Medicine Lists, Price, Availability, and Affordability.

Background Access to medicines is important for long-term care of cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. This study provides a cross-country assessment of availability, prices, and affordability of cardiovascular disease and hypertension medicines to identify areas for improvement in access to medication treatment. Methods and Results We used the World Health Organization online repository of national essential medicines lists (EMLs) for 53 countries to transcribe the information on the inclusion of 12 cardiovascular disease/hypertension medications within each country's essential medicines list. Data on availability, price, and affordability were obtained from 84 surveys in 59 countries that used the World Health Organization's Health Action International survey methodology. We summarized and compared the indicators across lowest-price generic and originator brand medicines in the public and private sectors and by country income groups. The average availability of the select medications was 54% in low- and lower-middle-income countries and 60% in high- and upper-middle-income countries, and was higher for generic (61%) than brand medicines (41%). The average patient median price ratio was 80.3 for brand and 16.7 for generic medicines and was higher for patients in low- and lower-middle-income countries compared with high- and upper-middle-income countries across all medicine categories. The costs of 1 month's antihypertensive medications were, on average, 6.0 days' wage for brand medicine and 1.8 days' wage for generics. Affordability was lower in low- and lower-middle-income countries than high- and upper-middle-income countries for both brand and generic medications. Conclusions The availability and accessibility of pharmaceuticals is an ongoing challenge for health systems. Low availability and high costs are major barriers to the use of and adherence to essential cardiovascular disease and antihypertensive medications worldwide, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Assessing costs of a hypertension management program: An application of the HEARTS costing tool in a program planning workshop in Thailand.

The HEARTS technical package, a part of the Global Hearts Initiative to improve cardiovascular health globally, is a strategic approach for cardiovascular disease prevention and control at the primary care level. To support the evaluation of costs associated with HEARTS program components, a costing tool was developed to evaluate the incremental cost of program implementation. This report documents an application of the HEARTS costing tool during a costing workshop prior to the initiation of a HEARTS pilot program in Thailand's Phothong District, 2019-2020. During the workshop, a mock exercise was conducted to estimate the expected costs of the pilot study. The workshop application of the tool underscored its applicability to the HEARTS program planning process by identifying cost drivers associated with individual program elements. It further illustrated that by supporting disaggregation of costs into fixed and variable categories, the tool can inform the scalability of pilot projects to larger populations. Lessons learned during the initial development and application of the costing tool can inform future HEARTS evaluation efforts.

Mean dietary salt intake in Nepal: A population survey with 24-hour urine collections.

High salt (sodium chloride) intake raises blood pressure and increases the risk of developing hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Little is known about salt intake in Nepal, and no study has estimated salt consumption from 24-hour urinary sodium excretion. Participants (n = 451) were recruited from the Community-Based Management of Non-Communicable Diseases in Nepal (COBIN) cohort in 2018. Salt intake was estimated by analyzing 24-hour urinary sodium excretion. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate differences in salt intake. The mean (±SD) age and salt intake were 49.6 (±9.8) years and 13.3 (±4.7) g/person/d, respectively. Higher salt intake was significantly associated with male gender (ß for female = -2.4; 95% CI: -3.3, -1.4) and younger age (ß10 years  = -1.4; 95% CI: -1.4, -0.5) and higher BMI (ß = 0.1; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.2). A significant association was also found between increase in systolic blood pressure and higher salt intake (ß = 0.3; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.7). While 55% reported that they consumed just the right amount of salt, 98% were consuming more than the WHO recommended salt amount (<5 g/person/d). Daily salt intake in this population was over twice the limit recommended by the WHO, suggesting a substantial need to reduce salt intake in this population. It also supports the need of global initiatives such as WHO's Global Hearts Initiative SHAKE technical package and Resolves to Save Lives for sodium reduction in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal.

Costs of promoting cancer screening: Evidence from CDC's Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP).

The Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) provided funding to 29 grantees to increase colorectal cancer screening. We describe the screening promotion costs of CRCCP grantees to evaluate the extent to which the program model resulted in the use of funding to support interventions recommended by the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). We analyzed expenditures for screening promotion for the first three years of the CRCCP to assess cost per promotion strategy, and estimated the cost per person screened at the state level based on various projected increases in screening rates. All grantees engaged in small media activities and more than 90% used either client reminders, provider assessment and feedback, or patient navigation. Based on all expenditures, projected cost per eligible person screened for a 1%, 5%, and 10% increase in state-level screening proportions are $172, $34, and $17, respectively. CRCCP grantees expended the majority of their funding on Community Guide recommended screening promotion strategies but about a third was spent on other interventions. Based on this finding, future CRC programs should be provided with targeted education and information on evidence-based strategies, rather than broad based recommendations, to ensure that program funds are expended mainly on evidence-based interventions.