Overview

Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (IDPC) Project

Through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NACCHO has undertaken a number of activities to increase the capacity of local health departments (LHDs) to prevent and control infectious diseases in their communities. The IDPC project aims to enhance local health preparedness and response to emerging infections by accomplishing the following:

1) Increase the number of national IDPC and related epidemiology policies, priorities, and guidance documents, and decisions that are informed by LHD input;

2) Increase the number of IDPC and related epidemiology evidence-based strategies, tools, and resources available to LHDs; and

3) Improve NACCHO's, CDC's, and partners' understanding of IDPC and related epidemiology needs, challenges, and successes of LHDs.

NACCHO identifies and disseminates resources and model practices to LHD IDPC programs through a variety of strategies and communication mechanisms. The project has supported NACCHO's IDPC workgroup, comprised of staff from LHDs across the country. The IDPC project also enabled NACCHO to inform more robust and systematic strategies for gathering local H1N1 situational awareness, useful practices, lessons learned, and input on guidance and policies during the 2009 outbreak.

Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Project

The goal of the HAI project is to strengthen LHD capacity to prevent HAIs and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This includes increasing LHD engagement in state HAI prevention activities, increasing stakeholders' understanding of HAI-related needs, making available resources that help to inform engagement of LHDs in HAI prevention, and supporting collaboration between LHDs and partners such as hospitals and long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The project will investigate the challenges and benefits to establishing collaborative relationships centered on the prevention and control of HAIs and drug resistance.

In 2011, NACCHO, in collaboration with CDC, conducted a needs assessment of 13 LHDs to better understand the following:

1) LHDs' awareness of HAIs;

2) Extent to which LHDs were engaged in HAI prevention, surveillance, and response;

3) Barriers to primary HAI prevention; and

4) LHDs' needs in order to become more involved in expanding national and state HAI prevention activities.

NACCHO, in collaboration with CDC, initiated a demonstration project for two LHDs to engage in state HAI prevention efforts in 2012. The DuPage County (IL) and Livingston County (MI) health departments will explore the role of local public health and LHD collaboration with LTCFs in HAI/MDRO prevention. This demonstration project aims to address barriers health departments face in implementing HAI and related policies by identifying LHD resources and lessons learned from LHDs working with the state health department and local partners on HAI prevention activities. Information and resources will be posted on NACCHO's IDPC webpage when they become available.

NACCHO also hosted a webinar on July 26, 2012, to give a brief overview of local HAI prevention efforts. Speakers presented findings from the needs assessment that NACCHO conducted in collaboration with the CDC to better understand the involvement of LHDs in HAI prevention and control. The webinar recording and presentation slides are now available online.