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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has stressed the local public health system in unprecedented ways. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Medical Countermeasure Workgroup is in the process of developing a best practice and lessons learned compilation resource for local health departments based on their COVID-19 experiences.
The workgroup is asking health departments to support the collection of information by sharing experiences and lessons learned during the pandemic. The hope of the project is to provide our successors with valuable information that can be used to guide decisions in future emergency situations. Specifically, the work group is seeking best practices around the capabilities of information sharing and medical countermeasure dispensing administration. Send your completed forms to Jennifer Sorek, EPC at the Ottawa County Department of Public Health. The work group thanks you for your participation.
The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announces the COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Speaker Series is featured on the ASPR website and YouTube. Please share widely. Subsequent recordings will be uploaded in the next week.
The Recovery Speaker Series page is live at: https://aspr.hhs.gov/HealthCareReadiness/Recovery/Pages/SpeakerSeries.aspx.
YouTube Video (Session #1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycDlauJD01E
The series has also been added to ASPR TRACIE and will be featured in their next ASPR TRACIE Express update. It currently is located within the following topic collections:
• COVID-19 Behavioral Health Resources
• COVID-19 Workforce Resilience/Sustainability Resources
Public health workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response have been hit hard over the past two years, especially when it comes to feelings of heightened stress, anxiety, and hopelessness. CDC’s State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial (STLT) Task Force would like your help with the ongoing effort to understand and address the mental health impact and support needs of this crucial population. The findings for the 2021 survey were published, and have been cited in numerous articles, testimonies and justifications for additional resources and support to the public health workforce.
Today we are writing to request your participation and support with sharing the 2022 STLT mental health survey among members of your team, which launches Monday, March 14. The target population for this survey is public health workers who work at state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. The anonymous, self-administered, online survey (administered through REDCap) is very similar to last year’s, covering questions to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation. The survey also assesses demographics, job categories, and work environment. Lastly, we hope to hear about your organizational support and coping strategies throughout the pandemic.
• Your participation: As someone currently working in a public health department, your input is vital. Please take 10-15 minutes to participate in the anonymous online survey about the mental health of U.S. public health workers. This survey can be taken on a computer, tablet, or cellular device. Participation is completely voluntary, and you may withdraw from the survey at any time. This survey link goes live Monday, March 14 and will remain open until Friday, March 25, 2022.
• Support with dissemination: All full-time, part-time, employees, contractors, fellows and others who work at the health department are eligible to participate. The more people we reach, the more comprehensive and statistically sound our findings will be. So please share widely with all of your staff and colleagues – at all levels and functions of the department! Our partners at CSTE, APHL, ASTHO, and NACCHO are also helping to distribute the link to their members, but we really need health department leaders to forward to their staff and peers.
As we continue to measure and understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public health workers’ mental health, we can better mobilize resources for additional psycho-social support. Thank you for lending your perspective and experience toward our mission of ensuring that we take care of each other as we move into a new phase of the pandemic. Most importantly, we thank you for your service.
P.S. For more information on CDC’s mental health study, please contact the survey team at stltmhproject@cdc.gov Survey: [https://redcap.link/d2aht6ap]
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