Public Health Practice

What Works

Edited by Jonathan E. Fielding and Steven M. Teutsch

Comprehensively bridges MPH courses with case studies and lessons from actual practice
Provides lessons from the Department of Public Health of the United States's most populous county, LA County
Organizes a curriculum around the functions of a public health department

Public Health Practice

What Works

Edited by Jonathan E. Fielding and Steven M. Teutsch

Description

Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, is home to 10 million people and 88 municipalities. It is larger than 41 of the 50 states. Comprising urban centers, extensive suburbs, and low-income, rural, and agricultural communities, it poses complex public health challenges that are diverse in scope and unmatched in scale.

In Public Health Practice: What Works, the leaders of LA County's Department of Public Health compile the lessons and best practices of working in a complex and evolving public health setting. Through stories of success (and challenges) from practice, this book offers a practical guide to effective health policy and program interventions for individuals, teams, practitioners, and departments on any scale.

All facets of public health practice are illustrated through case-specific chapters, including coverage of core capacities, health promotion and protection, emergency response, and service delivery. Techniques and themes addressed here include:

· cross-cutting interventions and intersectoral actions to improve population health
· environmental problems and influences on health outcomes
· policy as a public health tool
· targeted and tailored programs and services, policies, and partnerships

Employing a casebook method to provide real-life teaching tools for practitioners and students, Public Health Practice: What Works is a new benchmark for practical, contemporary public health practice.

Public Health Practice

What Works

Edited by Jonathan E. Fielding and Steven M. Teutsch

Foreword
1. Introduction & History of Public Health in Los Angeles County
J. Fielding, J. Freedman, S. Caldwell
Core Capacities
2. Measuring Population Health: The Los Angeles County Health Survey
S. Baldwin, A. Lightstone
3. Strategic Planning: Visioning the New Public Health Agency
W. Schiffer, G. Huang-Richman, J. Bobrowsky, M. Hatch
4. Programs and Policies that Work: How Evidence Can Drive Action
S. Teutsch
5. From Direct Service to Community Orientation: Transformation of Nursing Practice
D. Caley, D. Davenport
6. Assuring Competence: Credentialing and Privileging of Physicians
J. Gunzenhauser, K. Smith
7. Performance Improvement: Using Accountability and Rapid-Cycle Techniques to Improve Services
D. Jacobson, D. Lotstein
8. The Medium and the Message: Strategies for Effective Communication
R. Rodriguez, S. Kissell
9. Understanding Birth Outcomes and Adverse Birth Events: LAMB and LA HOPE
M. Chao, G. Donatoni, C. Higgins, M. Eldahaby, C. Harding
Health Promotion
10. Underlying Determinants of Health: Putting Local Data to Work
M. Shih
11. Tackling Toxic Food Environments: A Response to the Obesity Epidemic
P. Simon, S. Bogert
12. Enticing People Out of Their Cars: Promoting Active Living
J. Armbruster, G. Haberman, L. Franco, M. Ocanas
13. From Health Education to Health Policy: A Local Paradigm Shift in Tobacco Control
M. Weber, L. Aragon
14. Reaching Underserved Populations: Influenza Vaccination in the African American Community
M. Parra, J. Heinzerling, S. Caldwell, K. Harrison
15. The Asthma Coalition: Effective Prevention and Control through Collaboration
R. Gilchick, J. Scully, C. Harding
Health Protection
16. 101 Deadly Days: Listeria Monocytogenes Associated with Mexican Style Cheese
L. Mascola, B. Werner
17. Infection Control: Public Health Outreach to Hospitals
D. Dassey, D. Terashita, S. Sakamoto
18. Reducing Zoonoses: Controlling Animal Importation
K. Ehnert, B. Kim-Farley
19. Safe Food Facilities: Reestablishing Public Confidence Through Letter Grades
H. Dela Cruz, T. Powell, J. Fielding
20. Food Product Recalls: Effective Local Response
H. Dela Cruz, T. Powell
21. Sewage Discharge Response: Reforms in Reporting and Public Notification
B. Franklin, K. Murray
22. Contaminated Fish: Protecting Communities Through Community Education and Reducing Availability
M. Santos, J. Lewis, J. Scully
Emergency Response
23. Emergency Management: Building an Effective Structure for Local Public Health
M. Contreras, B. Bristow, A. Plough, K. Harrison
24. Employees as First Responders: A Framework for Emergency Readiness
M. Bosshard, B. Bristow, N. Barakat, E. Hinojos
25. Responding to Potential Emergencies: The Threat Assessment Unit
B. Bristow, D. Diamond, M. Kim, A. Plough
26. Radiation Risk: Development of a Multi-Agency Radiation Response Plan
K. Kaufman
27. Dispensing Emergency Medications and Supplies: Points of Dispensing Models
C. Knox, D. Davenport
28. Real Time Information in Emergencies: Automating Medication Data Collection
S. Khan, D. Bagwell
Service Delivery
29. Reducing Drug Use Among Non-violent Offenders: The Drug Court Program
J. Viernes, A. Long
30. Preventing Opiate Overdose Deaths: Legal Challenges and Effectiveness of Prevention Education and Narcan Distribution
E. Shultz
31. Increasing Accountability Among Substance Abuse Treatment Providers: Development of a Performance Measurement System
D. Crevecoeur, R. Gonzales, R. Rawson, J. Fielding, J. Viernes
32. Preconception Health: A Life Course Perspective for Maternal and Child Health
C. Harding, G. Donatoni, M. Chao, J. Smart, D. Ramos
33. Narrowing the Infant Mortality Gap: Data Tools and Strategies for Improved Birth Outcomes
M. Chao, G. Donatoni, A. Hopson, D. Davenport, C. Harding
34. Assuring Medical Coverage: An Effective Outreach Initiative for Children and Families
W. Schiffer, S. Bostwick, C. Higgins, C. Harding
35. Partnering with Families: A New Service Delivery Model for Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy
W. Ford, D. Ruge, N. Cappel, T. O'Hern, S. Roth
36. Reducing Cases of HIV: Implementation of Post Exposure Prophylaxis
J. Sayles, M. Perez, G. Garcia, R. Landovitz
37. STDs/HIV in the Adult Film Industry: Workplace Practices and the Need for Regulation
J. Steinberg, R. Butler, M. McGrath, P. Kerndt

Public Health Practice

What Works

Edited by Jonathan E. Fielding and Steven M. Teutsch

Author Information

Edited by Jonathan E. Fielding, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and Edited by Steven M. Teutsch, Chief Science Officer, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MA, MBA, is the Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Steven M. Teutsch, MD, MPH, is Chief Science Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Contributors:

Linda M. Aragon, MPH
Director, Tobacco Control and Prevention Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jean Armbruster, MA
Director, PLACE Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Dee Ann Bagwell, MA, MPH
Director, Policy & Planning
Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Susie Baldwin, MD, MPH
Chief, Health Assessment Unit
Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology

Noël Bazini-Barakat, RN, MSN, MPH
Director, Office of Organizational Development and Training and Acting Nursing Director
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Joshua M. Bobrowsky, JD, MPH
Policy and Planning Analyst
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Planning, Evaluation, and Development

Suzanne Bogert, MS, RD
Project Director, RENEW LA County
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Michelle Bosshard, MPH
Emergency Preparedness Training Coordinator
Office of Organizational Development and Training
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Suzanne Bostwick, BS
Director, Children's Health Outreach Initiatives
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Benjamin Bristow, MD, MPH
Preventive Medicine
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Rebecca Butler, A.B.
Public Health Fellow
STD Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Stephanie N. Caldwell, MPH
Special Assistant to the Director
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

David Caley, RN, PHN, MPA
Community Health Consultant
Former Deputy Division Manager, Community Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Nancy Cappel, PT
Therapy Manager
Children's Medical Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Shin Margaret Chao, PhD, MPH
Chief, Research, Evaluation, and Planning Unit
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Michael Contreras, MA
Director, Emergency Operations Unit
Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Desiree Crevecoeur, PhD
Research Psychologist
UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs
David E. Dassey, MD, MPH
Acute Communicable Disease Control
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Deborah Davenport, RN, PHN, MSPA
Director, Community Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Hector Dela Cruz, MS, REHS
Chief EHS
Bureau of Specialized Surveillance & Enforcement
Los Angeles County Environmental Health
Dickson Diamond, MD
Director, Threat Assessment Unit
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Giannina Donatoni PhD,MT (ASCP)
Staff Analyst
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Karen Ehnert, DVM, MPVM
Acting Director, Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Marian Eldahaby, BA
Research Analyst
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH
Director and Health Officer
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Wesley L. Ford, MA, MPH
Director
Children's Medical Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Louisa Franco, MPH
Policy Analyst, PLACE Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Bernard Franklin, BS
Chief Environmental Health Specialist
Recreational Waters Program
Los Angeles County Environmental Health

Jonathan E. Freedman, MPH
Chief Deputy Director
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Gary P. García, MPH
Research Analyst
Division of HIV and STD Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Robert A. Gilchick, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Child and Adolescent Health Program and Policy
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Rachel Gonzales, PhD, MPH
Research Psychologist
UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs
Jeffrey D. Gunzenhauser, MD, MPH
Medical Director
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Gayle Haberman, MPH
Policy Analyst, PLACE Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Cynthia A. Harding, MPH
Director
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Kim Harrison Eowan, M.P.H., C.H.E.S.
Chief of Staff, Emergency Preparedness and Response
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Maxanne Hatch, MPA
Board Liaison
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Julia Heinzerling, M.P.H.
Policy and Advocacy Specialist, Immunization Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Chandra Higgins, MPH
Epidemiologist
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Ernesto O. Hinojos, MPH
Emergency Preparedness Training Manager
Office of Organizational Development & Training
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Angel Hopson, RN, MSN, MPH
Program Specialist PHN
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Virginia Huang Richman, MPH, PhD
Chief of Policy, Analysis and Coordination
Planning, Evaluation, and Development
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Dawn Marie Jacobson, MD, MPH
Director Strategy and Development
Public Health Institute
Former Director, Performance Improvement
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Kathleen Kaufman
Director, Radiation Management (retired)
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Peter R. Kerndt, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, STD Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Sinan Khan, MPH, MA
Epidemiologist,
Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Moon Kim, MD, MPH
Medical Epidemiologist
Acute Communicable Disease Control Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Robert Kim-Farley, MD, MPH
Director, Communicable Disease Control and Prevention
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Sarah M. Kissell, MPA
Public Information Officer
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Catherine Knox, RN, MSN
Program Specialist, Community Health Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Raphael J. Landovitz, MD MSc
Assistant Professor of Medicine
UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research & Education
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Janice Lewis, REHS
Chief Environmental Health Specialist
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Amy S. Lightstone, MPH, MA
Supervising Epidemiologist, Health Assessment Unit
Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiologist
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Anna Long, PhD, MPH
Chief of Staff
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Debra S. Lotstein, MD, MPH
Adjunct Health Services Researcher,
RAND Health
Santa Monica, CA
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CA

Laurene Mascola, MD, MPH
Chief, Acute Communicable Disease Control
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Mark Roy McGrath, M.P.H.
Public Health Policy Consultant
AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Kenneth Murray, B.A.
Director, Environmental Protection Bureau
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Environmental Health Division

Tess Jens O'Hern, PT
Therapy Manager
Children's Medical Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Margot Ocanas, MBA, MIA
Policy Analyst, RENEW LA County
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Michelle T. Parra, Ph.D.
Director, Immunization Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Mario J. Pérez, MPH
Director
Division of HIV and STD Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Alonzo L. Plough, PhD, MPH
Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Terrance Powell BS, REHS
Director
Bureau of Specialized Surveillance & Enforcement
Los Angeles County Environmental Health
Diana Ramos, MD, MPH
Director, Reproductive Health Programs
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Richard A. Rawson, PhD
Associate Director
UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs
Rose Anne Rodriguez, JD
Director, External Relations and Communications
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Sidney Roth, PhD
Research Analyst
Children's Medical Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Debra Ruge, PT
Director, Medical Therapy Program
Children's Medical Services
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Sharon Sakamoto, RN, MSN/MPH, CNS
Acute Communicable Disease Control Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Marita B. Santos, RN, MSN
Public Health Nurse
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jennifer N. Sayles, MD, MPH
Medical Director
Division of HIV and STD Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Wendy K. Schiffer, MSPH
Director, Planning, Evaluation and Development
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Janet M. Scully, MPH
Staff Analyst, Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Margaret Shih, MD, MPH
Chief, Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Elan Shultz, MPH
Health Deputy to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky
Los Angeles County, Third District

Paul Simon, MD, MPH
Director, Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jeanne Smart, RN, MSN
Program Administrator, Nurse-Family Partnership
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Programs
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Kathleen Smith, RN, PHN, MSN, MPH
Assistant Nursing Director (retired)
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jane Steinberg, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Director, Programs and Policy
STD Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Dawn Terashita, MD, MPH
Acute Communicable Disease Control Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Steven Teutsch, MD, MPH
Chief Science Officer
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

John Viernes, Jr., MA
Director
Substance Abuse Prevention and Control
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Mark D. Weber, PhD
Chief Epidemiologist, Tobacco Control and Prevention Program
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

S. Benson Werner, MD, MPH
Chief, Disease Investigations Section
California Department of Health Services (retired)