Succession Planning in State Health Agencies in the United States: A Brief Report.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 25% of the public health workforce plans to retire by 2020. Succession planning is a core capability of the governmental public health enterprise; however, limited data are available regarding these efforts in state health agencies (SHAs). METHODS: We analyzed 2016 Workforce Gaps Survey data regarding succession planning in SHAs using the US Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) succession planning model, including 6 domains and 27 activities. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all 41 responding SHAs. RESULTS: On average, SHAs self-reported adequately addressing 11 of 27 succession planning activities, with 93% of SHAs adequately addressing 1 or more activities and 61% adequately addressing 1 or more activities in each domain. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of OPM-recommended succession planning activities are not being addressed, and limited succession planning occurs across SHAs. Greater activity in the OPM-identified succession planning domains may help SHAs contend with significant turnover and better preserve institutional knowledge.

Implementing Updated Recommendations on Hepatitis C Virus Screening: Translating Federal Guidance Into State Practice.

CONTEXT: Chronic viral hepatitis is a leading infectious cause of death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated recommendations for hepatitis C virus testing, including recommending that all individuals born between 1945 and 1965 be tested once. States' consistency with these national testing guidelines is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which state health departments have current hepatitis C virus testing recommendations listed on their Web sites, consistent with national guidelines. DESIGN: The CDC guidelines were reviewed to identify the risk groups recommended for or against testing. State health department Web sites (50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) were then systematically reviewed to classify whether, for each risk group, testing is recommended, not recommended, or with unclear recommendations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: States' consistency with national recommendations for each risk group mentioned by the CDC. RESULTS: Among the risk groups that the CDC currently recommends for testing, 50% of states updated their Web sites to include individuals born between 1945 and 1965. All states recommend testing current or former injection drug users, but only 58% recommended testing HIV-positive individuals. Among the risk groups for which the CDC has issued uncertain recommendations, states most frequently recommended testing individuals with tattoos or body piercing done with unsterile materials (46%) or with a history of multiple sex partners (31%). CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial variation in state Web sites' consistency with the CDC guidelines. The public health importance of risk factors is not associated with their inclusion in Web content. Improving the uptake of these recommendations and the manner in which they are conveyed to the public are critical to implementing the national viral hepatitis action plan, thereby increasing diagnoses and averting new infections.

Environmental scan 2000: issues facing state mental health agencies.

With the new millennium, state mental health agencies (SMHAs) are facing a variety of new issues. In this article, the authors report on the changes in state mental health systems that have occurred during the 2 years between interviews conducted with directors of each SMHA. While issues such as managed care, the influence of state Medicaid waivers on the development of public/private partnerships, and federal welfare reform continued to be key concerns, directors are focusing more on other issues such as assessing SMHA operations, establishing linkages with other state health and human service agencies, and inculcating new knowledge, technologies, and model practices.

Injury prevention capacity building in New York State: federal support played a significant role.

Federal funds contributed substantively to an expanded infrastructure for injury prevention (IP) in New York State at all levels. Indicators of capacity building included increased recognition of injury as a priority public health (PH) issue, enhanced interagency collaboration around IP, stimulation of planning around preventive strategies, training of more PH practitioners in IP, improved use of injury surveillance data, increased local IP projects, development of a PH approach to violence prevention, and broadened statutory authority for IP. Practical "lessons learned" offer generalizable insights. Specific funding strategies to support IP infrastructure and to link research with application can maximize the effectiveness of future injury capacity building efforts.

Seasonal and annual variation of antibody to HIV-1 among male inmates entering Maryland prisons: update.

Previous serosurveys of antibody to HIV-1 among incoming male inmates in Maryland between April and June of 1985, 1986 and 1987 have shown a prevalence of 7.0, 7.7 and 7.0%, respectively, with stability persisting after multivariate adjustment. To investigate seasonality and update annual trends, excess sera were obtained from incoming male inmates between August 1987 and August 1988. Correctional personnel also provided demographic variables of age, race, offense, category, and jurisdiction. Once rendered anonymous, specimens were assayed for antibody to HIV-1 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot. For the 12-month study period, 415 (7.9%) of 5262 consecutive male entrants were seropositive. On univariate and multivariate analyses, no significant change in seroprevalence or risk by subgroup was noted by month or season. For data from April to June 1988, 113 (8.1%) of 1398 consecutive entrants demonstrated anti-HIV-1; seropositivity was associated with age greater than 25 years, Black race, and Baltimore jurisdiction. No significant change was found over time in seroprevalence or risk of HIV-1 infection by subgroup in multivariate analysis combining data for 1985-1988. These data provide additional evidence to suggest stability of HIV-1 seroprevalence in Maryland male prison entrants.