Public health response to urgent case reports.

We evaluated the ability of local public health agencies (LPHAs) to meet a preparedness standard set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): to receive and respond to urgent case reports of communicable diseases twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Implementing a community-based oral health care program: lessons learned.

Objectives: The objective of this paper is to report key findings of a process evaluation that may be useful to other institutions seeking to implement a community-based oral health care program primarily targeting children in dentally underserved communities. By partnering with community-based organizations, public schools, and community health care providers, the Columbia University School of Oral and Dental Surgery (SDOS) established the Community DentCare Network (DentCare) in the Harlem and Washington Heights/Inwood neighborhoods of northern Manhattan. These low-income neighborhoods are characterized by poor oral health and have been designated by the federal government as health professions shortage areas.