In the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented public health measures were designed and implemented to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2. On January 26, 2021, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) staff began daily audits of documents of arriving passengers at 18 US international ports of entry to ensure documentation of either a negative predeparture antigen or nucleic acid amplification test result for SARS-CoV-2 or recent recovery from COVID-19. This case study briefly describes the results of those audits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPublic Health Rep
September 2024
On August 29, 2021, the United States government oversaw the emergent establishment of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and implemented by the U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many health departments and private enterprises began offering SARS-CoV-2 testing to travelers at US airports in 2020. Persons with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results who have planned upcoming travel may be subject to US federal public health travel restrictions. We assessed availability of testing for SARS-CoV-2 at major US airports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Immigr Minor Health
December 2014
We conducted a survey among Iraqi refugees resettled in the United States to assess their physical and mental health status and healthcare access and utilization following the initial 8-month, post-arrival period. We randomly selected Iraqi refugees: ≥18 years of age; living in the United States for 8–36 months; and residents of Michigan, California, Texas and Idaho. Participants completed a household questionnaire and mental health assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDisaster Med Public Health Prep
October 2009
OBJECTIVE:: To plan for continuity of operations, it is important to know which types of position vacancies within health departments are likely to occur and the kind of training needed to ensure protection of the public's health. METHODS:: To describe anticipated gaps in the public health workforce and to identify specific areas of training needed to ensure a highly skilled workforce, the authors surveyed Michigan state employees with public health responsibilities in spring 2007. RESULTS:: More than half (54%) of surveyed public health professionals reported they plan to leave the workforce within 10 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShort online training modules have been developed by the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (NCCPHP) and provided to registered users for free on its Training Web Site. Use of these modules can improve the knowledge, skills, and awareness of public health professionals in topics related to public health preparedness. According to the results of a survey implemented in October 2004, the NCCPHP Training Web Site is effectively reaching its target audience of local and state public health workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessing the training needs of local public health workers is an important step toward providing appropriate training programs in emergency preparedness and core public health competencies. The North Carolina Public Health Workforce Training Needs Assessment survey was implemented through the collaboration of several organizations, including the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness at the North Carolina Institute for Public Health, the outreach and service unit of the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response in the North Carolina Division of Public Health Epidemiology Section, and local health departments across the state.
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