Use of computer modeling for emergency preparedness functions by local and state health officials: a needs assessment.

The authors, collaborating from several public health institutes, present the methodology, results, and lessons learned from a multistate needs assessment of local and state public health and safety officials regarding their familiarity and use of formal computer modeling for preparedness activities. The study was undertaken to provide information to the newly formed Preparedness Modeling Unit within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The focus was on the use of sophisticated mathematical models associated with three public health threats: pandemic influenza, radiologic release, and severe heat waves. The use of computer modeling and scenario-based analyses can be used to better frame problems and opportunities, integrate data sources, expect outcomes, and improve multistakeholder decision making. The results of the eight state needs assessment demonstrated that preparedness officials are familiar with models and would use computer modeling as a tool, along with other tools and general experiences, depending upon the perceived quality and validity of the model and the assumptions, as well as the applicability, of the model to their particular setting and population. More needs to be done to improve awareness and dissemination of available models and share best practices in both knowledge and use of models. Use of preparedness modeling would enhance the planning for vulnerable and at-risk populations, all-hazard emergencies and infectious disease containment strategies, as well as for response functions including evacuation, sheltering, quarantine, and distribution of medications and supplies.

The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute: A collaborative response to urban health issues.

The authors provide background on the poor health and economic status of the residents of East Baltimore, Maryland--the neighborhood surrounding a significant part of Johns Hopkins University, including the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The president of the Johns Hopkins University established a council on urban health, consisting of a broad array of individuals from across the university and the community to develop a recommended course of action to help deal with these conditions. Based on the recommendations of the council, the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute was established with the mission to marshall the resources of the university and external groups to improve the health and well-being of the residents of East Baltimore and to promote evidence-based interventions to solve urban health problems nationwide. After becoming fully operational in 2001, the institute established three major goals: (1) strengthen research and learning, (2) reduce disparities in health and health care for East Baltimore residents, and (3) promote economic growth in East Baltimore. The article describes the institute's major activities, including community-based participatory research projects, the Journal of Community-Based Participatory Research, and programs for research fellows to promote research and learning; HIV/AIDS counseling and testing centers and a primary care clinic for the uninsured to reduce health disparities; and a technology resource center providing training and job opportunities to promote economic growth. The authors conclude by outlining the next steps planned for the institute.

Improving the oral health status of all Americans: roles and responsibilities of academic dental institutions: the report of the ADEA President's Commission.

Academic dental institutions are the fundamental underpinning of the nation's oral health. Education, research, and patient care are the cornerstones of academic dentistry that form the foundation upon which the dental profession rises to provide care to the public. The oral health status of Americans has improved dramatically over the past twenty-five to thirty years. In his 2000 report on oral health, the Surgeon General acknowledges the success of the dental profession in improving the oral health status of Americans over the past twenty-five years, but he also juxtaposes this success to profound and consequential disparities in the oral health of Americans. In 2002, the American Dental Education Association brought together an ADEA President's Commission of national experts to explore the roles and responsibilities of academic dental institutions in improving the oral health status of all Americans. They have issued this report and made a variety of policy recommendations, including a Statement of Position, to the 2003 ADEA House of Delegates. The commission's work will help guide ADEA in such areas as: identifying barriers to oral health care, providing guiding principles for academic dental institutions, anticipating workforce needs, and improving access through a diverse workforce and the types of oral health providers, including full utilization of allied dental professionals and collaborations with colleagues from medicine.

Creating the Management Academy for Public Health: relationships are primary.

True collaboration among large federal agencies is rare, as is that among large and influential national foundations. The collaboration between two major government health agencies (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration) and three major health foundations (the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC Foundation) to create the Management Academy for Public Health is unprecedented in public health over the past quarter century. We attribute this success to the unique combination of a strong foundation of relationships between the partners and a commitment to generative dialogue throughout the design and implementation of the program. The success and sustainability of the Academy derive directly from these critical success factors, serving as an exemplary model for future collaborative endeavors.