An academic/government partnership to provide technical assistance with pandemic influenza planning to local health departments in North Carolina.
In 2006, the North Carolina Division of Public Health (NC DPH) required all 85 local health departments (LHDs) in North Carolina to develop a pandemic influenza plan. Because few LHDs had experience in developing such plans, NC DPH engaged in a unique partnership with an academic center, the North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness (NCCPHP), to provide technical assistance to local planners. This article describes the technical assistance program implemented by NCCPHP, the use of technical assistance by local planners, subsequent completeness of local pandemic influenza plans, and lessons learned throughout the program. We discuss selected topic areas (surveillance, vaccine/antiviral, and vulnerable populations) observed within local pandemic influenza plans to highlight the variability in planning approaches and identify potential opportunities for state and local standardization.
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness, North Carolina Institute for Public Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 8165, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8165, USA. rrosselli@unc.edu
Richard T
RT
Rosselli
Meredith K
MK
Davis
Kristina
K
Simeonsson
Morgan
M
Johnson
Brant
B
Goode
Julie
J
Casani
Pia D M
PD
MacDonald
D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004493:Education; D006290:Health Planning Technical Assistance; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009111:Local Government; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D015980:Public Health Practice; D014495:Universities