An Academic/Government Partnership to Provide Technical Assistance with Pandemic Influenza Planning to Local Health Departments in North Carolina

• Published in: Public health reports (1974) Vol. 125; no. 5_suppl; pp. 92 - 99
• Main Authors: Rosselli, Richard T., Davis, Meredith K., Simeonsson, Kristina, Johnson, Morgan, Goode, Brant, Casani, Julie, MacDonald, Pia D.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Association of Schools of Public Health 01-11-2010; SAGE Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Antivirals; Completeness; Cooperative Behavior; Data Collection; Diamond pyramid hardness; Disease Outbreaks; Education; Emergency preparedness; Health care policy; Health planning; Health Planning Technical Assistance; Health Workforce; Humans; Immunization; Influenza; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Local Government; Needs Assessment; North Carolina - epidemiology; Online courses; Pandemics; Partnerships; Planners; Population planning; Populations; Practice Articles; Public health; Public Health Practice; Standardization; Surveillance; Technical assistance; Technical support; Universities; Vaccination; Variability; North Carolina; United States > US
• ISSN: 0033-3549; 1468-2877
• DOI: 10.1177/00333549101250S513

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.