NC Public Health Leaders in Practice Student Practica Program

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1 The UNC-Gillings School of Global Public Health and its partners are pleased to present this student practicum/internship program designed to increase opportunities for residential graduate students in the school to gain practice experience via academic credit-bearing field practica in local public health agencies in North Carolina. This initiative has unique characteristics that will distinguish it from a typical field practicum while still meeting current departmental practica requirements. Students and host agencies will be selected via a formal, competitive application process. Practica will take place for 6-10 weeks (at least 200 hours) in the summer between the students first and second years of their graduate program. Students will be required to include a recommendation form and letter from a faculty member in their home department. A host agency may be either an individual local health department (LHD), a regional consortium of LHDs, or the state health department. A specially-appointed Application Review Committee will review the students applications and review the agencies' opportunity submissions, and will make the student/agency matches. Preceptors will interview prospective students (likely by telephone) before final selections are made. Students will receive a stipend to participate in the program. Upon selection, students will apply to live in housing subsidized via agreement with the NCAHEC system whenever possible. When AHEC housing is not possible, the host LHD will assist the student in identifying housing. Students will participate in up to three required public health leadership seminars/workshops, led by the Workforce Development staff of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH), prior to departing for their field assignment. Upon completion of their summer practicum experience, students will be required to complete a culminating report or paper, according to the requirements of their home department. Timeline February 2 Application is made available online; projects are posted online February 24, 5:00 pm Application is due February 27-March 2 Placement committee reviews applications March 5-9 Students are notified of decision March Students interview with potential preceptors March Students receive confirmation of placement; students apply for AHEC housing as soon as practicum is confirmed Week of May 7 NCPHLP orientation (date TBD) May 15-August 17 Summer practicum (students arrange hours with preceptors between these dates) June-July Mid-practicum check-ins and seminars/workshops August 31 Completed evaluations and culminating reports/papers are due Apply To apply for the NC Public Health Leaders in Practice program, go to and click on NC Public Health Leaders in Practice Student Practica Program in the Spotlight section.

2 The NCPHLP Program welcomes applications from students from all backgrounds, and especially encourages students from under-represented communities to apply.

3 Available Placements for Summer 2012 Albemarle Regional Health Services, Elizabeth City, NC Albemarle Regional Health Services, Elizabeth City, NC, serving Pasquotank, Perquimans, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Bertie, and Gates. Would also be working with the following counties: Dare, Edgecombe, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell, Washington, and Northampton counties. NCALHD Region 9 Community Transformation Grant: Work will involve initial activities in the following areas in order to implement policy, systems, and environmental changes that support tobacco-free living, active living, healthy eating, and high impact evidence-based clinical preventive services. Assist the three Community Transformation Grant Coordinators in assets mapping regarding regional GIS/GPS of joint use agreements in each county related to physical activity opportunities, the feasibility of farmers markets compared to food deserts in the region, and status of tobacco-free ordinances or policies for local government buildings and other indoor public places, as well as the recruitment of community members for the Health Impact Assessment, focus groups, and dialogue and listening groups. Research best practice models and tools for physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco interventions in rural areas. Identify needs based on primary and secondary data collection and analysis in the region. Present information to the CTG Leadership Team for implementation. Alamance County Health Department, Burlington, NC Details coming soon check the website Brunswick County Health Department, Bolivia, NC Brunswick County Health Department is looking for a student to work on health disparities. The project will involve building relationships with minority communities, particularly African Americans, in Brunswick County through media advocacy, outreach and community-building efforts. Student activities will include: Planning an event at a local minority church to provide and promote health services such as a blood pressure screening Working with the media to promote the event Developing a social media campaign to inform the community about the need to change health disparities The student may have flexibility in choosing a health topic among those identified in the Community Health Assessment recently conducted in Brunswick County. The Health Department will be able to provide the funds for the event and the media. Brunswick County Health department is extremely excited to work with a student on this project. Students with an interest in health disparities are encouraged to apply. Buncombe County Health Department, Asheville, NC Improving Women s Health through Community and Youth Action This project will involve developing, maintaining, and evaluating a youth advisory council to guide the improvement of the family planning and STD clinics of the Buncombe County Department of Health. Key elements may include: Research advisory board models and youth involvement strategies Explore possible funding resources to support youth involvement in the advisory board

4 Buncombe County Health Department, continued Determine role, function and structure of advisory board Set budget to support advisory board functions Develop application process, identify and recruit potential advisory board members Provide orientation and training for board members Conduct at least monthly advisory board meetings and ongoing training updates Explore opportunities for advocacy and special projects Involve youth advisory board in determining projects and activities Evaluate process, progress, and data. Region 2 Community Transformation Grant This is an opportunity to assist with an innovative regional approach to primary prevention of chronic disease in rural NC. The practicum student would be based in Buncombe County (Asheville), but would be working a regional level with 11 Western NC counties. Assist with Region 2 CTG coordination on a regional level Prepare a physical activity, nutrition, tobacco, and medical care access scorecard using new InsightVision software for region Update and analyze secondary data sources for regional project Research best practices and tools for physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco interventions for rural areas Cabarrus Health Alliance, Kannapolis, NC The Cabarrus Health Alliance (CHA), a progressive public health agency in Kannapolis, North Carolina is the lead organization for a number of countywide and regional efforts with important public health implications. CHA seeks a graduate-level intern to assist with three projects, including the Cabarrus Community Needs Assessment, Community Transformation Grant, and ACHIEVE, a CDC-funded national initiative. Cabarrus Community Needs Assessment A countywide assessment process was initiated by a 30 member Community Planning Council in spring 2011 to examine community needs and assets in a variety of areas including health, education, economics, safety, environment, etc. The results will be disseminated in summer 2012 and used to make important decisions about health and community services over the next four years. Intern activities: Utilize the final report and statistical indicators to create a presentation template for the community and present Needs Assessment findings in a variety of community settings which may include the private sector, education, healthcare, and non-profit organizations. Create a dissemination plan and resources for the final Needs Assessment report and track and report dissemination activities to the Community Planning Council. Community Transformation Grant This grant project, ultimately funded through CDC, seeks to implement policy, systems and environmental changes that support tobacco free living, active living, healthy eating and high impact evidence-based clinical preventive services over a five-year period. CHA will lead our 11 county region as part of this initiative when it begins March Intern activities: Participate in initial project efforts which may include creating materials, presentations, and resources for an 11 county region as well as data collection in Cabarrus County.

5 Cabarrus Health Alliance, continued Serve on CTG Leadership Team and provide guidance to lead County Coordinator on overall direction and logistics of project. Identify sites and sectors for the project and assist in recruitment. ACHIEVE (Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental change) CHA is a designated ACHIEVE community, funded by CDC to develop and implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to address chronic disease prevention. CHA leads a coalition that includes representatives from healthcare, worksites, parks and recreation, city planning, the YMCA, the local school system, as well as an elected official. Intern activities: Participate on the ACHIEVE team and collect data for the Year 2 CHANGE Tool re-assessment. CHANGE is a data-collection tool completed annually in 13 sites to assess policy and environmental change strategies. The results are used to guide the development of a community action plan. Assist with data interpretation once it is collected through the CHANGE Tool re-assessment and report the findings to the project team. Provide the ACHIEVE team with evidence-based suggestions for incorporation into the end-of-project sustainability plan, based upon the results of the CHANGE Tool. Chatham County Health Department, Pittsboro, NC Reducing Tick Borne Illness Chatham County has a higher incidence of tick borne illnesses than the rest of North Carolina appears to be on track to continue that trend. Chatham County Public Health Department has an opportunity for a student interested in developing and implementing an aggressive campaign to reduce the incidence of tick borne illness in the county. The campaign will focus on an awareness and educational campaign to tackle these debilitating illnesses that targets medical providers, community members, including the Hispanic community, as well as community partners. This project combines the practices of environmental health and communicable disease prevention. Public Awareness and Community Education Plan Chatham County Public Health Department is requesting a student to assist with the development of a comprehensive public awareness and community education plan that will provide the tools to allow trained staff members (Speaker s Bureau) to respond to community generated requests for information and will result in increasing public awareness of the broad topic of what is public health to targeted public health issues. CCPHD Strategic Plan Chatham County Public Health Department has an opportunity for a student interested in community based public health and health statistics to identify methods to compile and track county-level data identified in the CCPHD Strategic Plan. Included in this work will be the development of strategies and activities to engage internal staff and community partners around CCPHD Strategic Plan key objectives. Also included in this work would be the development of a comprehensive list of current and potential Partners and Stakeholders key to CCPHD. STD/HIV With STDs on the rise in Chatham County, the department is requesting a student to research best practice or evidence-based strategies to improve outreach to populations at risk for STD/HIV. Other activities will include researching social networking tools to improve STD and HIV testing, education and follow-up.

6 Chatham County Health Department, continued Increase Influenza Vaccination Rates Chatham County Public Health Department is requesting a student to research and develop a strategic plan to increase influenza vaccination rates in Chatham County s minority population. Work may include but not limited to data collection related to current influenza vaccination rates in Chatham and surrounding counties, interviews with staff and community members to determine the root causes for not vaccinating and the development of possible interventions to improve vaccination rates. Cumberland County Department of Public Health, Fayetteville, NC Cumberland County continues to have high rates of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The health department is interested in evaluating its current HIV/STD and teen pregnancy prevention programs in order to make improvements. Student activities associated with this project include orientation rotations in clinical settings and those listed below: Gather and track county-level data Research best practice or evidence-based strategies to improve outreach to teens at risk for STD/HIV and unintended pregnancies Research how to involve and integrate the teen s social support system with medical services Research social networking tools to improve contraception and STD education, testing, treatment and follow-up Develop educational messages tailored to target age group. Connect with local media to disseminate educational resources Develop public health intervention programs tailored to this age group and implementation plans Develop evaluation plan that leads to implementation of innovative approaches Develop quality improvement plan to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of educational and clinical services focused on pregnancy and STD prevention Dare County Health Department, Manteo, NC Details coming soon check the website Durham County Health Department, Durham, NC Health Department Succession Policy and Training Plan Develop a draft Health Department Succession Policy and Training Plan. This may involve any or all of the following: Conduct research on succession planning, including but not limited to internet, Durham County Human Resources, AHEC and other public agencies. Coordinate/collaborate with Durham County Human Resources throughout this project. Identify key components/framework for a department succession plan that addresses maintaining key department intelligence and skills/competencies. Identify or develop methods for identifying the key functions and/or positions to include in a plan. Train personnel in identified key positions how to assess and inventory the role and actions of their position needed for succession planning. Department personnel will complete inventory.

7 Durham County Health Department, continued Propose/identify methods by which Department personnel will be recruited to participate in training and professional development activities to prepare for future opportunities. Propose/identify sources of training and professional development to meet identified skills/competencies. Guilford County Department of Public Health (GCDPH), Greensboro, NC This year the GCDPH is embarking on two assessment-related projects: The GCDP is collaborating with five county hospitals and UNC-Greensboro to conduct a cutting-edge comprehensive community health assessment. GCDPH is working with eight other counties to conduct a regional active living and healthy eating assessment looking at land use and transportation planning, as well as assessment of corner grocery stores and need for farmers markets. The student will have flexibility to assist in areas of interest including data collection and analysis, GIS analysis, qualitative data collection, i.e., focus groups, partnership development, and community engagement. Iredell County Health Department, Statesville, NC Environmental Health Department Rapid Access Project Iredell County has an opportunity for a student to assist with further development of our innovative and award winning Rapid Access project. The purpose of this project is to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction by the improvement of providing faster septic system permit document access. The intern will spend most of his or her time with Project Access but there definitely will be access to environmental health shadowing opportunities as well. Duties will include: Identify old septic system permits with the correct property location number (PIN) on a GIS map. Convert paper septic system permits into a digital format using a scanner. Learn to enter these correctly identified septic permits into an Access database. Provide (from interns perspective) input on the development, implementation and evaluation of the project. Provide input for improvement opportunities. Opportunities: Learn quality improvement terminology, methodology and tools like the model for improvement, PDSA, and lean processes. Exposure to GIS (Geographical Information System) and Access database. Intern in one or both of the Iredell County Environmental Health offices. Learn from experienced staff how the various fields of Environmental Health protect the public s health in rural, suburban, and urban areas of the county. Observe Environmental Health Specialists performing various field activities. Get ready to have fun walking long distances, augering and probing soils, and looking at pit and trench excavations.

8 New Hanover County Health Department, Wilmington, NC New Hanover County Health Department has internship opportunities to assist with the following projects: Community Health Assessment student activities associated with this project will include facilitation of meetings with community partners to create action plans addressing health priorities. Other activities will include creating a database to evaluate the dissemination plan of the Community Health Assessment to the public. Community Transformation Grant student will assist with CDC funded grant to implement policy, systems and environmental changes that support tobacco free living, active living, healthy eating and high impact evidence-based clinical preventive services over a five-year period. Student will assist Community Transformation Grant (CTG) Coordinator with leading a 9-county region as part of this initiative when it begins March Intern activities: Participate in initial project efforts which may include creating materials, presentations, and resources for 9-county region. Assist lead CTG Coordinator and Leadership Team on overall direction and logistics of project. Update and analyze and morbidity data for all counties involved in the 9-county region. Assist with the development of a branding and marketing campaign for the 9-county regional project. Orange County Health Department, Hillsborough, NC Orange County Health Department has an internship opportunity for an MPH student to research evidencebased or promising practices in the areas of the Orange County Board of Health s three priority areas of: 1) Access to Care, 2) Substance Abuse/Mental Health, and 3) Child and Family Obesity. The Intern will work directly with the Orange County Health Director (Dr. Colleen Bridger) and the strategic planning teams (one for each priority) to research effective interventions and prepare presentations to the Board of Health on the selected interventions. The Intern will also have the opportunity to develop 1-2 proposal abstracts that can be used to solicit funding for the interventions. Other activities could include identifying data sources to provide baseline and program evaluation data once the interventions are implemented. Pender County Health Department, Burgaw, NC Follow-up organizational assessment from the one completed in the public health leadership program Sept Develop a special needs registry for public health preparedness 3-Assess our health department website and assist with changes Randolph County Health Department, Asheboro, NC Randolph County Health Department would like to host a student to assist with the 2013 Community Health Assessment (CHA). The student would be involved in primary data analysis, including CHA survey design and deployment, as well as secondary data analysis. There may also be an opportunity to work with 2014 accreditation readiness in the areas of workforce development and training.

9 Richmond County Health Department, Rockingham, NC The Richmond County Health Department is excited and looks forward to working with you during the summer of Located in Rockingham, the department serves a population of approximately 46,000 citizens with a staff of 72 providing a variety of services including: Maternal Health, Family Planning, STD, TB, Cancer Screening, Primary Care for the Uninsured, Immunizations, Dental, WIC, Health Education, Vital Records, Pharmacy Assistance Program, Pregnancy Care Management, Child Care For Children, CAP-DA, CAP-C, County Employee Health Clinic, Environmental Health and Animal Control. The department was recently re-accredited by the North Carolina Pubic Health Accreditation Board. During the summer of 2012, we are searching for a student to help us with the following project: Continue our efforts to further streamline operations to become more efficient through automation of work flow. Specifically, to re-design our monthly Management Report from a system of Manual Collection of Data to an Automated Monthly Management Report to be distributed to the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, Richmond County Board of Health and to publish on our website. Secondly, to assist in design and implementation of Automated Animal Control Management System and to finally to assist in developing a more automated in-house Vital Records Management Program. Wake County Health Department, Raleigh, NC Details coming soon check the website