Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response SAFER

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Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response
(SAFER)

• Kristen Pogreba-Brown, MPH
• The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman
• College of Public Health
• Arizona Center for Public Health Preparedness

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What is SAFER?

• SAFER is made up of a group of enthusiastic
  graduate students who are interested in learning
  more about how local health departments conduct
  outbreak investigations
• Students are available to take part in emerging
  and continuing disease investigations along with
  state public health professionals

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Why is it Important for Students to Study
Outbreaks?

• Important Public Health training
• Gain real world experience
• Assist local health departments
• Collaborate with local health departments
• Internship opportunities
• Career contacts

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Background on the Team

• Needs assessment of local health departments
• Summary of interview findings
• Program development
• Team piloted with 15 graduate students in Spring
  2005
• Establishment of an outbreak response course tied
  to team membership

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Needs Assessment

• Interviews at AZ Health Departments
• Information collected on
• Skills needed in an outbreak investigation
• Critical training needs
• Student participation
• Legal and safety issues
• Funding possibilities

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Summary of Interview Findings

• Potential student activities
• Training needs
• Importance of having students well trained before
  taking part in a response
• Topics on which students should be trained
• Concerns/Issues to Address
• Maintaining confidentiality and HIPPA
  requirements
• Being prepared for the field
• Personnel to perform training sessions
• Funding issues
• Travel and lodging costs if necessary
• Any costs associated with training

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Program Synopsis

• Team membership
• Required training on surveillance and outbreak
  response at ADHS and MCDPH
• Student participation in outbreak response class
• ICS 100 and ICS 700 training required
• Advisory group
• Response Notification Systems
• Evaluations Systems

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Health Department Responsibilities

• To contact the program coordinator as needed
• To provide training/orientation at the beginning
  of each school semester for new team members (For
  partnering agencies only)
• To provide some instruction and supervision to
  student volunteers when they arrive on site
• To maintain an expectation of temporary (1-3
  days) commitments from students unless previously
  determined to be longer
• To complete the response evaluation of student
  participation

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Class Description

• Interactive seminars that bring in public health
  professionals to share their investigation
  experiences with the students
• Outbreak Activities/Training Sessions
• Preparedness Activities/Training Sessions
• Short-term projects for returning students

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Training Sessions

• Arizona Department of Health Services (Infectious
  Epidemiology Division)
• Students must complete a full day training
  session covering the basics of surveillance,
  reporting procedures and how different types of
  outbreak investigations are conducted
• Maricopa County Health Department
• Focuses on food borne outbreak investigations and
  interviewing skills
• Pima County Health Department
• Introduction to local health department,
  conducting interviews from a call center, and
  Incident Command structures and the EOC

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Activation of the Team
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Potential Activities for Students

• Interviews
• Data Management
• Communicating with the public
• Sample collection and transportation
• Case-control studies
• Taking part in preparedness drills
• Chart Reviews
• Field Work
• Short Term Projects

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What SAFER Has Done

• Norvirus, Norvirus, Norovirus
• Grand Canyon river rafters
• Assisted care facilities
• Weddings, catered events, conferences, anywhere
  lots of people gather and eat
• Pertussis outbreak
• Hepatitis A outbreak
• Salmonella, Shigella, MRSA Measles outbreak
• West Nile Virus Surveillance
• Gem Show Surveillance
• Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance at Super Bowl
  XLII
• Unknowns
• POD Training and Participation

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Real-Time Syndromic Surveillance at Super Bowl
XLII
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Student Commitments
Total of 463 hours over 7 semesters
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Challenges

• Student schedules
• Developing trust among health departments
• Establishing protocols
• Not enough people getting sick and reporting it
  to the health departments

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Questions?
Kristen Pogreba-Brown kpogreba_at_email.arizona.edu