Category: Policy Engagement

Strategic Skill Area

A Systems Approach to Reduce Gun Violence

Course Objective

Discuss the public health approach to addressing gun violence
Discuss the applicability of systems thinking to address gun violence
Describe the roles that local public health agencies can play to address gun violence, including supporting gun safety

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Date: July 1, 2023

Gun violence is a major public health issue causing significant death, injuries and years of life lost. Gun violence and gun safety are complex public health problems and challenges that can benefit from a systems-thinking approach. This self-paced module course will focus on how local health departments can take action to address gun violence in their communities. The course describes two examples of how different counties in the state are applying the public health approach to gun violence in their communities and using systems thinking to help define the problem and identify risk factors and areas to intervene.

Public Health Law in the 21st Century: Exploring Authority, Equity, and Advocacy

Course Objectives

Describe how law serves as a foundation for public health practice.
Provide examples of how law serves as a social determinant of health.
Identify efforts to limit or diminish public health authority and how these efforts impact public health outcomes.
Provide examples of how law can be used to advance health and racial equity.
Highlight activities under way to strengthen public health advocacy at the local, state, and national levels.

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Date: April 4, 2023

Presenter:
Montrece Ransom, JD, MPH, ACC
Director, National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training

Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH
Director, Southwestern Regional Network for Public Health Law

Montrece Ransom, JD, MPH and Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH present on public health law fundamentals. The presenters begin by explaining the basics of law in the United States and how it realtes to public health. They then discuss landmark supreme court cases and changes to public health authority since the COVID-19 pandemic. The presenters go on to discuss law as a tool for equity and racism as a public health crisis. Finally, the presenters explain how law can be used as a tool for public health practice.

Participants will be able to:

Describe how law serves as a foundation for public health practice.
Provide examples of how law serves as a social determinant of health
Identify efforts to limit or diminish public health authority and how these efforts impact public health outcomes.
Provide examples of how law can be used to advance health and racial equity.
Highlight activities under way to strengthen public health advocacy at the local, state, and national levels.

Adaptive Leadership: Strategies for Public Health

Course Objective

List highlights of the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership”
Describe situational challenges as technical or adaptive
Identify the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” process
Apply the “Adaptive Leadership” behaviors to situations facing public health professionals

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Date: December 6th, 2022

Presenter:
Emil J. Sadloch
SADLOCH DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES

In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Emil Sadloch presents on the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership.” He begins by defining “Adaptative Leadership” and explaining the difference between technical and adaptive situational challenges. He goes on to describe the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” model: Observe, Interpret, and Intervene. Sadloch ends by presenting a case study and explaining how “Adaptive Leadership” can be applied to a current public health issue.

Participants will be able to:

List highlights of the leadership approach known as “Adaptive Leadership”
Describe situational challenges as technical or adaptive
Identify the three phases of the “Adaptive Leadership” process
Apply the “Adaptive Leadership” behaviors to situations facing public health professionals

Policy Enactment and Implementation in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes

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Date: June 30th, 2022

Subject Matter Experts:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant
&
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA,
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health,
Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

The Strategic Skills Training Series developed by the Region 2 PHTC aims to help prepare public health leaders and the public health workforce to develop the practices and competencies associated with being a Chief Health Strategist. Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Policy Enactment and Policy Implementation’ stages of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Learners will be able to:

Describe the steps and strategies needed to enact and implement a policy, program or service
Identify the kinds of individuals and organizations who can contribute to the enactment and implementation of policies, programs, and services
Explain the importance of monitoring the implementation of policies, programs, and services
Understand how applying habits of systems thinking can improve the enactment and implementation processes

Improving Well-Being of Low Wage Food Workers: What Role for State and Local Governments?

Course Objective

Identify key threats to the well-being of low-wage food workers
Describe the role of policy and programs related to low-wage workers across sectors in reducing or increasing health and other inequities
Describe current responsibilities of state and local health departments and other public agencies in protecting the well-being of food workers
Identify at least three examples of policy or program initiatives that state and local health departments can undertake to improve the well-being and life chances of low-wage food workers
Describe one specific action your agency can take in the coming year to better protect the health of low-wage food workers

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Date: June 30th, 2022

Subject Matter Experts:
Nicholas Freudenberg, DrPH, MPH
Distinguished Professor of Public Health, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

Emilia Vignola,
PhD candidate, CUNY School of Public Health

Luis Saavedra,
Research Associate, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute

Ensuring and maintaining our nation’s food supply is the responsibility of approximately 19.7 million workers. The U.S. food system – including production, processing, distribution, retail, and service – relies on these workers to ensure the dietary needs of every American. Despite their critical role in our society, food workers are paid some of the lowest wages in the entire workforce, have limited access to benefits, and have high rates of occupational morbidity and mortality. As public health professionals, promoting the health and well-being of low-wage food workers is part of our responsibility to meet key public health goals, including protecting food safety, reducing food insecurity and hunger, preventing occupational illnesses and injuries, and reducing the income inequality that is the fundamental driver of health inequities. In essence, threats to low-wage food workers are threats to us all.

Learners will be able to:

Identify key threats to the well-being of low-wage food workers
Describe the role of policy and programs related to low-wage workers across sectors in reducing or increasing health and other inequities
Describe current responsibilities of state and local health departments and other public agencies in protecting the well-being of food workers
Identify at least three examples of policy or program initiatives that state and local health departments can undertake to improve the well-being and life chances of low-wage food workers
Describe one specific action your agency can take in the coming year to better protect the health of low-wage food workers

Confronting Barriers to Vaccine Acceptance: The Role of Effective Communication

Course Objective

Discuss root causes of vaccine hesitancy and inequities among different groups
Describe the role of effective communication in promoting vaccine acceptance
Identify promising equity- and community-driven strategies to address barriers to vaccine acceptance during COVID-19 and beyond
Discuss examples, case studies, and action steps to strengthen local communication systems and promote vaccine acceptance

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Date: April 5th, 2022

Subject Matter Expert:
Renata Schiavo, PhD, MA, CCL
Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
Founder and Board President, Health Equity Initiative
Principal, Strategies for Equity and Communication Impact (SECI)

This course developed by the Region 2 Public Health Training Center (PHTC) focuses on the role of effective communication in confronting barriers to vaccine acceptance. It discusses root causes of vaccine hesitancy and inequities among different groups and describes the role of effective communication in addressing such root causes, including a focus on equity- and community-driven strategies during COVID-19 and beyond. It also provides an overview of examples, case studies, best practices, and action steps to strengthen local communication systems and promote vaccine acceptance among a variety of groups.

Participants will learn how to:

Discuss root causes of vaccine hesitancy and inequities among different groups
Describe the role of effective communication in promoting vaccine acceptance
Identify promising equity- and community-driven strategies to address barriers to vaccine acceptance during COVID-19 and beyond
Discuss examples, case studies, and action steps to strengthen local communication systems and promote vaccine acceptance

Developing and Implementing Climate and Health Adaptations: An Update from the NYSDOH BRACE Project

Course Objective

Describe the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects, or BRACE, framework for climate and health adaptation work.
Identify at least 3 resources for gaining knowledge about likely impacts of climate change on health in NYS.
Describe examples of climate and health adaptation-related activities that have been conducted in NYS.

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Date: March 1st, 2022

Presenter:
Neil Muscatiello, MS
Director, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology,
New York State Department of Health

In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Neil Muscatiello, director of the NYSDOH Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology reviews the importance and progress of the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework for climate and health adaptation work in New York. He starts by contextualizing the human impact on climate and New York State projections, including warming trends and increased precipitations. He then explains how the BRACE model builds on evidence such as the climate impact assessments from ClimAID, which summarize observed and projected impacts across 8 sectors, and the county heat and health profile reports, which correlate temperature increases to poor health outcomes. He then traces the climate change adaptations steps, and goes over some example adaptations, such as the benefit analysis of heating and cooling assistance on hospitalizations, the Climate Smart Community certification. He ends by sharing information about regional climate and health adaptation workshops, additional resources, and answering attendees’ questions.

Participants will learn to:

Describe the Building Resilience Against Climate Effects, or BRACE, framework for climate and health adaptation work
Identify at least 3 resources for gaining knowledge about likely impacts of climate change on health in NYS.
Describe examples of climate and health adaptation-related activities that have been conducted in NYS.

Policy Analysis in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Define Stage Two of the CDC policy process i.e. Policy Analysis
List types of evidence that can be reviewed as part of the policy analysis phase
Assess feasibility of available policy options via framing questions and rubrics
Identify and define key variables in a complex public health issue
Sketch and interpret a simple systems map/ causal loop diagram
Define and identify leverage points in a system and assess their potential impact on the system
Discuss the importance of systems modeling and explore how systems models can be used to ask and answer policy-relevant questions

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Date: June 30th 2021

Subject Matter Experts:
Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Policy Analysis’ stage of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Recommended Pre-Requisites:

Participants will be able to:

Define Stage Two of the CDC policy process i.e. Policy Analysis
List types of evidence that can be reviewed as part of the policy analysis phase
Assess feasibility of available policy options via framing questions and rubrics
Identify and define key variables in a complex public health issue
Sketch and interpret a simple systems map/ causal loop diagram
Define and identify leverage points in a system and assess their potential impact on the system
Discuss the importance of systems modeling and explore how systems models can be used to ask and answer policy-relevant questions

Strategy and Policy Development in the Policy Process and How Systems Thinking Fits In

Course Objective

Define Stage Three of the CDC policy process i.e. Strategy and Policy Development
Describe the steps that Health Departments can follow to develop an enactment strategy and draft an actual policy
Understand how systems thinking tools can help strengthen the strategy and policy development process

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Date: June 30th 2021

Subject Matter Experts:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH (Public Health), MBA
Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, and Associate Director of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program (AMDD) at Columbia University

Using a scenario focused on the opioid problem in the fictitious ‘Tycho County’, this course will describe how the ‘Strategy and Policy Development’ stage of the CDC policy process can be implemented by a health department using systems thinking tools and approaches.

Recommended Pre-Requisites:

Participants will be able to:

Define Stage Three of the CDC policy process i.e. Strategy and Policy Development
Describe the steps that Health Departments can follow to develop an enactment strategy and draft an actual policy
Understand how systems thinking tools can help strengthen the strategy and policy development process

Policy Making and Systems Thinking: tools to help the public health workforce address challenging times

Course Objective

Define policy making in public health and how it can be used to achieve public health goals
Identify how systems thinking can strengthen public health policy development
Discuss how some of the essential steps in policy making and systems thinking can help address “wicked” public health challenges

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Date: January 12th, 2021

Presenter:
Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS
Public Health Practice Consultant

Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH, MBA
Assistant Professor
Population and Family Health
Columbia University Medical Center

In this month’s Log-in2Learn, Helen de Pinho, MBBCh, FCCH, MBA, and Sylvia Pirani, MPH, MS, walk us through the process of policy making and the role of systems thinking in combating complex challenges. Sylvia starts by highlighting the steps required to craft good policy and emphasizes the importance of incorporating community members and stakeholders in the process. She then identifies some of the common obstacles seen during this process and shares instances of the same. Helen goes on to unpack the concept of systems thinking, explaining how it can be used and why it is such an essential tool for policy makers and the public health workforce. She demonstrates the ways in which systems thinking can be used to address complex situations and tricky relationships in the policy making process through a series of examples. Finally, they both identify the next steps in policy making and share useful resources for policy identification and systems thinking during challenging times.

Participants will be able to:

Define policy making in public health and how it can be used to achieve public health goals
Identify how systems thinking can strengthen public health policy development
Discuss how some of the essential steps in policy making and systems thinking can help address “wicked” public health challenges