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Public Health Agencies (public + health_agencies)
Selected AbstractsDETECTION OF SALMONELLA TYPHIMURIUM IN OYSTERS BY PCR AND MOLECULAR HYBRIDIZATIONJOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY, Issue 5 2006A.A. CORRÊA ABSTRACT Because shellfish (oysters, clams and mussels) are filter feeders, i.e., able to concentrate pathogens from the surrounding waters within their tissues, they have been widely associated with outbreaks illness. The incidence of salmonellosis caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish, is a primary concern of public health agencies. Then, in recent years, more rapid and specific methods based on the DNA sequence of salmonella genes have been developed to detect low levels of pathogens in environmental and food samples. In this study, we developed a sensitive method to detect low levels of Salmonella typhimurium in oyster tissues (0.1 cfu/g). This methodology consisted of dissection of the gastrointestinal oyster tract, pre-enrichment of the samples in nonselective medium, DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction followed by molecular hybridization using a digoxygenin-labeled amplicon-derived probe. These results can benefit the public health agencies and shellfish producers concerning microbiological and quality aspects of the commercial oyster production. [source] Utility of Infectious Disease Coding Sheets for Surveillance in a State Medical Examiner's Office,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 4 2008Ph.D., Sarah L. Lathrop D.V.M. Abstract:, Medical examiners are often first to recognize unusual occurrences of fatal infectious diseases. Recognition of these deaths allows public health officials to institute appropriate public health measures. Therefore, we developed a simple method of identifying and tracking infectious disease deaths in a statewide medical examiner's office. One-page infectious disease forms were completed for 1566/1949 autopsies (80%) performed at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in 2004. In 241 cases one infectious disease was identified at autopsy and 58 cases had two infectious diseases. Fourteen of the infectious-diseases caused deaths involved diseases that are notifiable conditions in New Mexico. Pneumonia was the most commonly reported infectious process (47 deaths) followed by sepsis (25 deaths). Tracking infectious disease deaths highlighted the importance of recognizing these deaths, although hand-written entries were unstandardized. Preferably, a tracking system would be built into electronic databases at medical examiner and coroner's offices, expediting the identification of these diseases and contact of public health agencies. [source] Potato glycoalkaloids: formation and strategies for mitigationJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 11 2008Prabhat K Nema Abstract With the increasing production and consumption of potato and its products, glycoalkaloid (GA) formation and toxicity are likely to become an important focus for food safety researchers and public health agencies. Not only the presence of GA, particularly in the form of ,-solanine and ,-chaconine, but also the changes occurring as a result of various post-harvest handling practices and storage, are critical issues influencing the quality of stored potatoes. Studies on various factors (pre-harvest, during harvest and post-harvest) affecting GA have been carried out from time to time, but it is difficult to compare the results of one study with another due to wide variation in the parameters chosen. This review aims to develop a clear understanding of these issues. Published information on the types of GA, their effects on health, their typical concentrations in potatoes, their formation mechanisms, and how their levels can be controlled by following appropriate post harvest practices and storage regimes are critically analysed. The levels of GA in potato can be controlled effectively by adopting appropriate post-harvest practices. Further studies are necessary, however, to investigate best practices, which either check completely or retard substantially their formation. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Outcomes of genetics services: Creating an inclusive definition and outcomes menu for public health and clinical genetics services,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS, Issue 3 2009Kerry Silvey Abstract Third party payers, funding agencies, and lawmakers often require clinicians and public health agencies to justify programs and services by documenting results. This article describes two assessment tools,"Defining Genetics Services Framework" and "Genetics Services Outcomes Menu," created to assist public health professionals, clinicians, family advocates, and researchers to plan, evaluate, and demonstrate the effectiveness of genetics services. The tools were developed by a work group of the Western States Genetics Services Collaborative (WSGSC) consisting of public health genetics and newborn screening professionals, family representatives, a medical geneticist, and genetic counselors from Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The work group created both tools by an iterative process of combining their ideas with findings from a literature and World Wide Web review. The Defining Genetics Services Framework reflects the diversity of work group members. Three over-lapping areas of genetics services from public health core functions to population screening to clinical genetics services are depicted. The Genetics Services Outcomes Menu lists sample long-term outcomes of genetics services. Menu outcomes are classified under impact areas of Knowledge and Information; Financing; Screening and Identification; Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management; and Population Health. The WSGSC incorporated aspects of both tools into their Regional Genetics Plan. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Public Health Nurse and the Emotions of PregnancyPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2010Kent A. Zimmerman ABSTRACT The excerpts taken from this historical article by Kent Zimmerman, M.D., a mental health consultant to the California State Department of Health, provide insight about the role of public health nurses in working with pregnant women. Dr. Zimmerman, an expert in the field of the psychological problems of pregnancy and early childhood, was a part of an international group of psychiatric dignitaries who met in 1952 in France at a conference examining the state of psychological knowledge and care of children (Soddy, 1999). In this paper, the psychiatrist addresses the need for education and support in providing mental health services to clients in public health venues, a theme he reiterated in 1952. In this piece, he argued that staff nurses in public health agencies be trained in basics of psychiatry and that specialists be hired to serve as permanent consultants to public health workers to help with the most challenging nurse-client interactions, and with the emotions that accompany difficult interpersonal work. While knowledge has developed a great deal since the publication of this article in February 1947 in Public Health Nursing, readers may be surprised to see that interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork were ideals more than 50 years ago. [source] Public Health Nursing Directors' Perceptions Regarding Interagency Collaboration with Community Mental Health AgenciesPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 2 2000M.H.A., Rosemary V Chaudry Ph.D. Involvement in collaborative interagency relationships is crucial to the future of public health nursing and public health agencies. The purpose of this study was to describe public health nursing directors' perceptions regarding relationships between public health agencies and mental health agencies in their communities. A secondary analysis was conducted of textual responses to open-ended questions and unsolicited comments from 71 (55%) the of respondents to a larger survey of nursing directors of all public health agencies in Ohio. Data were analyzed inductively using content analysis for emergent themes and patterns, which were organized and classified deductively according to a community interagency collaboration framework. Public health nursing directors described environmental, situational, task, and interagency factors that impact collaboration between their agencies and local community mental health agencies. These descriptions provide a context for understanding impediments to collaboration between these two types of agencies, and have implications for designing interventions to enhance public health nursing directors' skills at marketing both their profession and their agencies. Collaborative relationships between public health and mental health agencies could improve care for community-dwelling persons with severe mental disabilities and enhance the future of public health nursing in a changing, competitive health care system. [source] Cudahy High School Survey and Focus Groups: Assessment of the Needs of a Teen Population.PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 1 2000A Community, Campus Collaboration Collaboration between local public health agencies and university schools of nursing can be advantageous to both parties. Students need opportunities to learn aggregate-based care; health officers need community partnerships that expand their potential to accomplish core functions. This article offers a case study to illustrate a collaborative relationship. A high school survey and a plan for teen services were the focus of the joint endeavor. With guidance from faculty, students offered labor and expertise; the agency offered a real world laboratory for learning. [source] Public Health Rural Health Priorities in America: Where You Stand Depends on Where You SitTHE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2003Larry Gamm PhD Methods: Analysis of responses to a mail survey sent to 999 rural health leaders, with 501 responses. Respondents were asked to rank importance to rural health of focus areas named in Healthy People 2010 Findings: There was substantial agreement on top rural health priorities among state and local rural health leaders across the 50 states. "Access to quality health services" was the top priority among leaders of state-level rural agencies and health associations, local rural public health agencies, rural health clinics and community health centers, and rural hospitals. It was the top priority across all 4 major census regions of the nation as well. The next 4 top-ranking rural priorities,"heart disease and stroke,""diabetes,""mental health and mental disorders," and "oral health",were selected as 1 of the top 5 rural priorities by one third or more of respondents across most groups and regions. At the same time, some observed differences in rural health priorities suggest opportunities for community partnership strategies or for regional multistate policy initiatives by states sharing similar rural health priorities. [source] Tracking Diabetes: New York City's A1C RegistryTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2009SHADI CHAMANY Context: In December 2005, in characterizing diabetes as an epidemic, the New York City Board of Health mandated the laboratory reporting of hemoglobin A1C laboratory test results. This mandate established the United States' first population-based registry to track the level of blood sugar control in people with diabetes. But mandatory A1C reporting has provoked debate regarding the role of public health agencies in the control of noncommunicable diseases and, more specifically, both privacy and the doctor-patient relationship. Methods: This article reviews the rationale for adopting the rule requiring the reporting of A1C test results, experience with its implementation, and criticisms raised in the context of the history of public health practice. Findings: For many decades, public health agencies have used identifiable information collected through mandatory laboratory reporting to monitor the population's health and develop programs for the control of communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The registry program sends quarterly patient rosters stratified by A1C level to more than one thousand medical providers, and it also sends letters, on the provider's letterhead whenever possible, to patients at risk of diabetes complications (A1C level >9 percent), advising medical follow-up. The activities of the registry program are similar to those of programs for other reportable conditions and constitute a joint effort between a governmental public health agency and medical providers to improve patients' health outcomes. Conclusions: Mandatory reporting has proven successful in helping combat other major epidemics. New York City's A1C Registry activities combine both traditional and novel public health approaches to reduce the burden of an epidemic chronic disease, diabetes. Despite criticism that mandatory reporting compromises individuals' right to privacy without clear benefit, the early feedback has been positive and suggests that the benefits will outweigh the potential harms. Further evaluation will provide additional information that other local health jurisdictions may use in designing their strategies to address chronic disease. [source] Collection, use, and protection of population-based birth defects surveillance data in the united states,BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 12 2007Cara T. Mai Abstract Birth defects surveillance systems collect population-based birth defects data from multiple sources to track trends in prevalence, identify risk factors, refer affected families to services, and evaluate prevention efforts. Strong state and federal public health and legal mandates are in place to govern the collection and use of these data. Despite the prima facie appeal of "opt-in" and similar strategies to those who view data collection as a threat to privacy, the use of these strategies in lieu of population-based surveillance can severely limit the ability of public health agencies to accurately access the health status of a group within a defined geographical area. With the need for population-based data central to their mission, birth defects programs around the country take their data stewardship role seriously, recognizing both moral and legal obligations to protect the data by employing numerous safeguards. Birth defects surveillance systems are shaped by the needs of the community they are designed to serve, with the goal of preventing birth defects or alleviating the burdens associated with them. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 79:811,814, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||