The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened both awareness and scrutiny of the field of public health. Public health professionals have been tasked with responding to the virus in a highly politically charged environment, while also continuing to provide regular programs and services in the challenging circumstances of a pandemic. As a county health department Community Coalition Coordinator explained:

Our health department is handling all things COVID for the county—testing; providing guidance to schools, businesses, employers, agencies, health care providers and the public; investigating and enforcing of state regulations; contact tracing; providing lab results to EVERY single person who takes a COVID test; arranging and providing a multiplicity of testing events that change weekly to meet the current need; and monitoring and assisting people placed in quarantine/isolation to make certain they have what they need and do not violate the order. We also provide shelter and housing and food for people who have no safe place to quarantine or isolate. As employees of the health department we are considered first responders and throughout this crisis are constantly being pulled away from our regular work. I have so much work to do and so very little time. Just because COVID-19 came to town does not mean all of the other health problems went away.

In this new photo blog, Portraits of Public Health, the Region IV Public Health Training Center seeks to highlight and appreciate the folks who have been and continue to do the hard work of public health. To nominate a public health professional to be included, please use this form. Priority will be given to nominees from Region IV.

When you participate in a training with the Region IV Public Health Training Center, you become a key part of a national network (the Public Health Learning Network, or  PHLN) of ten regional Public Health Training Centers, each funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to strengthen the public health workforce through education and training.

The PHLN is committed to measuring and communicating the influence of our programming. Two new infographics (below) highlight the collective impact and value of the PHTCs activities at a glance. The compiled data highlight the tremendous effort of the PHTCs in designing trainings that clearly communicate relevant public health information in such a way that participants are not only satisfied with the training, but are also able to learn from the trainings and identify actions they can take in their workplace. Likewise, across all regional field placements, the strength and impact of the PHTC field placement program is evident.

Are you an emerging leader at a health department or tribal health organization?

Program Learning Objectives
By the end of the Institute, participants will be able to:

• Identify personal leadership strengths
• Address a leadership challenge through a self-directed adaptive approach
• Engage in peer consulting with Region IV colleagues
• Apply leadership competencies in the context of public health

In response to the 2020 pandemic, The Region IV Public Health Training Center’s Public Health Practice Academy skills-based workshops will now be offered online only, until further notice. Space in these no-cost workshops is very limited (~25 participants per class) and priority enrollment is for staff of local, state and tribal health departments in Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN). Only register if you are confident that you can participate.

These online Public Health Practice Academy workshops are not webinars. They are interactive, and learners are expected to actively participate and share their audio and video. Each participant will need a computer with webcam, microphone, speakers and internet access.

Topics include data analytics, persuasive communications, practical evaluation, program planning, conflict management, holistic leadership, health equity, human resource management and strengths-based leadership. 

The nation’s Regional Public Health Training Centers serve the governmental public health workforce, a group of professionals who, under normal times, are generally overstretched and under-resourced. As the U.S. confronts the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, these individuals deserve extra support of all kinds: emotional, instrumental and informational. The Region IV Public Health Training Center, with its network of almost 9,000 public health professionals, is uniquely poised to facilitate supportive connections between those on the frontlines of COVID-19.

Community of Support members can help one another get through this current challenge.

• Coach
• Learn
• Mentor
• Share
• Support

As new information becomes available about the novel coronavirus and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Region IV Public Health Training Center recommends these reputable sources for national and state-level updates and professional learning.

For international information, please visit the World Health Organization – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. To view an interactive map of cases, go to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Map.

The Region IV Public Health Training Center’s Public Health Practice Academy is a collection of in-person, skills-based workshops for both new and seasoned public health professionals. We offer a limited number of these classes at local, state and tribal health departments in Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN). While we are not able to fulfill every request we receive, we would like to hear from you if you are interested in bringing a workshop to your health department. Contact us for more information.

The most recent additions to the Public Health Practice Academy series include:

• 5 Voices of Leadership: Transforming Team Communication
• Data Analytics for Public Health
• Managing Change in Public Health
• Persuasive Communication in Public Health: Influencing Patients, Partners and the Public
• Seeking Health Equity: Understanding and Taking Action on the Root Causes of Health Disparities

Program Learning Objectives
By the end of the Institute, participants will be able to:

• Identify personal leadership strengths
• Address a leadership challenge through a self-directed adaptive approach
• Engage in peer consulting with Region IV colleagues
• Apply leadership competencies in the context of public health

As a public health professional, you may be wondering if advocacy has a role in your life. The answer is YES! Here’s what you can do.

Understand your professional responsibility. Public health professionals have a duty to use their expertise and influence to advocate for public health. Advocating for policies and programs that improve health is a fundamental function and core competency of public health professionals.
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Stay informed. Policy and budget proposals are changing every day. Follow the news and these national public health organizations to know when your help is critically needed.

• American Public Health Association
  • Policy Statements and Advocacy
  • Current Action Alerts
• Trust for America’s Health
  • A Funding Crisis for Public Health and Safety: State-by-State Public Health Funding and Key Health Facts, 2017

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Don’t assume all advocacy activities are off limits. Advocacy is taking action to build support for an issue or cause. Many advocacy activities are compatible with employers’ policies, in particular educating policymakers and constituents. Lobbying is a type of advocacy that involves contacting policymakers by phone, email, in-person or otherwise to try to influence their position on specific legislation.
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Know your agency. Some organizations prohibit employees from lobbying (not advocacy) altogether. Others have a process in place for approving lobbying activities. Check with your organization’s human resources or public affairs department to clarify.
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Act as a concerned citizen. As a private citizen, you generally are free to contact elected officials on your own time, using your own resources to share your personal views. When acting as an individual, you may use your credentials (MPH, RN, MD, etc.), but not your organizational affiliation. Research suggests that in-person visits and individualized emails/letters are more influential phone calls and form emails. When reaching out about a public health matter, consider contacting your Senator or Representative’s Health Legislative Assistant.

FIND YOUR SENATOR    FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Evidence-based practices improve health outcomes, maximize limited resources, and enhance workforce productivity.

This image, from CDC’s Understanding Evidence, highlights three distinct sources of evidence that influence decision making in public health. While research evidence is extremely important and should not be overlooked, it is not the only kind.

When public health programs lack evidence of effectiveness, we may use other explanations to defend our work: We’ve always done it that way or People love it. However, in order to protect the integrity of the public health profession, we should uphold science and evidence-based public health practice. Trained public health practitioners rely on the best available knowledge about what works–and what doesn’t–when making decisions about public health programs and policies. They rely on scientific research to inform their priorities and select strategies with demonstrated benefits.

Ready to learn more? Explore the resources below and join our March 6, 2017 webinar.

Selected Resources for Finding Evidence-Based Programs

• Health Impact in 5 Years
• The Community Guide
• What Works for Health
• NACCHO Model Practice Database
• Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health
• AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

For a more comprehensive list, click here.

CDC is excited to announce the launch of the newly designed CDC Learning Connection – your source for information on public health training opportunities developed by CDC, CDC partners, and other federal agencies. Visit the new site, access thousands of free courses, and sign up for monthly email updates.

Related Infectious Disease Trainings

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