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Session Title: State and Local Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Evaluation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Expands Focus on Capacities to Include Outcomes

Panel Session 359 to be held in Calvert Ballroom Salon B on Thursday, November 8, 11:15 AM to 12:45 PM

Sponsored by the Disaster and Emergency Management Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

Craig payday loan  Thomas payday loan ,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  cht2@cdc.gov

Discussant(s):

Edward payday loan  Liebow payday loan ,  Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation,  liebowe@battelle.org

Abstract: State and local preparedness for public health emergencies is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of State and Local Readiness. The need for enhanced preparedness was substantially underscored by the 9/11 attacks and an anthrax release through the US postal system the next month. Panelists from the CDC and Battelle will trace the evolution of public health preparedness evaluation since 2001 and discuss emerging research topics. Panelists will review the history of preparedness measurement and evaluation; identify central evaluation questions of interest concerning accountability, preparedness, and program effectiveness; discuss evidence issues; and explore with session attendees how evaluation findings can be fed back into performance improvement by state and local health agencies responsible for preparedness and response. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this panel are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this panel are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Historical Overview of the Evolution of the Evaluation Focus for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program Patricia payday loan  Bolton payday loan ,  Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation,  bolton@battelle.org As early as 1999 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was engaged in designing and overseeing public health system preparation for bioterrorism events. Following the terrorist events in late 2001, Congress appropriated supplemental funds to enhance the public health preparedness program. The CDC guidance to program grantees in 2002 was designed around six preparedness focus areas based on the content domain of public health. When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was activated in 2003 its mission included the development of a framework for Federal, state, and local emergency preparedness for all hazards and an evaluation methodology based on the use of emergency response exercises. The CDC program refocused its guidance to health departments to emphasize the measurement of outcomes as well as progress in establishing emergency response capabilities. This presentation describes the evolution of the CDC's evaluation methods to incorporate more systematic performance measurement and documentation.

Fund Federally, Respond Locally: Evaluating Public Health Emergency Preparedness in Diverse Contexts Davis payday loan  Patterson payday loan ,  Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation,  pattersond@battelle.org CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement funds U.S. states, territories, and four cities to develop and improve their capabilities for preventing and responding to public health emergencies. As a federal program, it requires a national monitoring and evaluation strategy, yet preparedness and response are first and foremost local processes. Furthermore, the state and local organization of public health varies greatly across the country, including centralized, decentralized, mixed, and shared management structures. This presentation will review efforts to date to evaluate preparedness (e.g., the Public Health Preparedness and Response Capacity Inventory, assessments by various national health organizations) focusing on several dimensions: process v. outcomes, benchmarks v. quality improvement, and routine v. emergency operations. The implications of diverse public health systems for data comparability across jurisdictions and across time and for CDC's role in providing evaluation technical assistance will also be examined.

Crawl, Walk, Run: An Incremental Approach for Demonstrating Accountability in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement Sue Lin payday loan  Yee payday loan ,  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  sby9@cdc.gov In recent years, many federal programs have embraced performance measurement as the 'quick and dirty' method for demonstrating fiscal and programmatic accountability. In the rush to measure impact, a thorough examination of the program, mechanisms for ensuring feedback, and strategies for turning evaluation results into programmatic change has inadvertently been de-emphasized. From the grantee perspective, whether performance measurement is useful for programmatic improvement is in question. Since 1999, CDC's Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement has funded 62 states, territories, and local grantees to build capacity and capability in responding to public health emergencies. This presentation takes a candid look at CDC's efforts to define 'Progresso' in this emerging field and examines whether performance measurement alone can adequately measure impact. The presenter will offer alternative strategies for demonstrating accountability and progress in a manner that promotes an environment of learning and simultaneously expands the evidence-base of public health preparedness.