Monday, April 14, 2014

Training Opportunity: August 11-22, 2014. Translational Health Disparities Course



2014 NIMHD Translational Health Disparities Course

Integrating Principles of Science, Practice and Policy in Health Disparities Research

 

The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) will again host a course on the science of health disparities this summer. The course will take place on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, from August 11, 2014 to August 22, 2014.

 

This two-week intensive course will provide specialized instruction on the concepts, principles, methods, and applications of health disparities science, practice, and policy. It will also integrate principles and practice of community engagement. Nationally and internationally recognized experts in health disparities science will lead individual sessions.

 

Cost: The course is free, but admission is competitive and daily attendance is mandatory. Participants are responsible for transportation, room and board.

 

How to Apply: Submit an application via the NIMHD website at www.nimhd.nih.gov from April 14, 2014 to May 22, 2014. Applications will only be accepted online.

 

All application materials, including recommendation letters, must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. EST on May 22, 2014 for consideration. 

 

Application Information: The following comprises the application packet:

 

Completed online application must include:

  • Relevant professional experience (250 word limit);
  • Educational history including honors and awards (250 word limit);
  • Essay describing interest in the course and how it will contribute to work/future career goals in the area of health disparities (350 word limit); and
  • Letter of recommendation addressing in concrete and specific terms strengths, personal qualities, and relevance of course for career trajectory (350 word limit). 

 

**Once the applicant submits the application, it will generate an automatic e-mail to the applicant’s reference, requesting a recommendation. An application is not complete until the reference submits the letter of recommendation.

 

Course Information

• Applicants will be notified if they have been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected by June 25, 2014.

 

• The course overview and syllabus will be on the NIMHD website by mid-April.

 

Course Contact

• For additional information, contact the course planning committee at NIMHDHealthDC@mail.nih.gov.

Funding Opportunities: Homeland Security University Programs

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Apr 14-17, 2014. First African Ministers of Health Conference Jointly Convened by the African Union Commission and the World Health Organisation

Apr.14.2014 - Apr.17.2014First African Ministers of Health Conference Jointly Convened by the African Union Commission and the World Health Organisation

GO TO ATTACHMENTS

MEDIA ADVISORY
FIRST AFRICAN MINISTERS OF HEALTH CONFERENCE JOINTLY CONVENED BY THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
INVITATION TO THE MEDIA
When: 14 – 17 April 2014
Where: Luanda, Republic of Angola
Who: African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
OBJECTIVES : The key objective of the meeting is to provide an important forum for Member States, UN Agencies, Development Partners and other Stakeholders to discuss, among other the followings;
i. Universal Health Coverage in Africa: from concept to action;
ii. African Medicines Agency: setting milestones to establish a centralized regulatory system for medical products;
iii. Non-communicable diseases in Africa: policies and strategies to address risk factors;
iv. Prevention of maternal and child mortality: review of the plan of action;
v. Establishment of an African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention;
vi. Accountability mechanisms to assess the implementation of declarations and other commitments made by African Ministers of Health.
Participants: African Ministers in charge of health, development actors, private sector, NGOs and UN agencies will attend the meeting
Background:
Throughout their many years of partnership, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have continuously explored ways to reinforce their collaboration and with theaim of obtaining better growth and development outcomesfor populations across Africa.
Guided by their respective legal and political instruments, and in the scope of their collaboration agreement, the two institutions decided to jointly organize biannual meetings of African Ministers of Health. These meetings should create opportunities for deliberation and decision-making on the critical health issues thataffect populations inAfrican countries, and on which political and public health authorities are requested to intervene in a strategic and efficient manner.
The need and desire by African countries was reinforced at the 6th Ordinary Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health held in Addis Ababa in April 2013 and was also reiterated by the 22nd Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government Summitheld in Addis Ababa January 2014.
For media inquiries and requests please contact:
Esther Tankou Azaa, AUC
email: YambouE@africa-union.org
Wurie Bah, AUC
email:bahw@africa-union.org
Collins Boakye-Agyemang, Communication Manager, WHO/AFRO
email: boakyeagyemangc@who.int
For any further information pleasevisit:

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Reentry Program: Grant\funding opportunities


U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance Releases SCA Adult Demonstration and Adult Mentoring Solicitations

U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice AssistanceSecond Chance Act Two-phase Adult Reentry Demonstration Program

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently released the FY2014 solicitation for the Second Chance Act Two-phase Adult Reentry Demonstration Program. These grants will provide up to $750,000 to help state and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes plan and implement programs and strategies to reduce recidivism and ensure the safe and successful reentry of adults released from prisons and jails.

Successful applicants will be required to complete two phases of work: a project-planning phase and, after BJA approval, a project-implementation phase. The initial award period will be 24 months, with the possibility of no-penalty extensions that will allow for the completion of both the planning and implementation phases. Up to six months of the total project period can be used to complete the planning process, with the remaining months used for implementing the project. To download this solicitation, click here.  
Deadline: June 2, 2014

With funding support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Reentry Resource Center will host a webinar for organizations responding to this solicitation. In this webinar, officials from BJA will explain the grant program and application process.

Date: April 25, 2014
Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET

To register for this webinar, click here.
_________________________________

Second Chance Act Comprehensive Community-based Adult Reentry Program Utilizing Mentors

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance recently released the FY2014 solicitation for the Second Chance Comprehensive Community-based Adult Reentry Program Utilizing Mentors. These grants will award up to $1,000,000 over a three-year period to organizations that provide a comprehensive range of services, including mentoring, to individuals returning from prison or jail. Nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations) with a history of providing evidence-based reentry services are encouraged to apply. Applicants must commit to serving at least 250 participants over the three-year grant period. To download this solicitation, click here.

Deadline: June 2, 2014

With funding support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Reentry Resource Center will host a webinar for organizations responding to this solicitation. In this webinar, officials from BJA will explain the grant program and application process.

Date: April 22, 2014
Time: 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET

To register for this webinar, click here

 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. Getting something you least expected from planning.

Now that you've created the plans, policies, or procedures. Time to put them to the test.

Exercises by either a table-top, drill, functional, or full-scale is one form of validating what you've planned for.  You may even get something never expected during your planning.
 

BEMA

 

http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2014/04/exercise-exercise-exercise/

Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!

 
You could say that those of us who work in preparedness are a little obsessed with making sure we’ve got our emergency kits stocked and ready, our emergency plans up to date, and our neighbors are ready too.  So we’ve got a few households in Georgia ready for a public health emergency (and a few others around the country – don’t forget about friends and family!), but how do we get the country ready?  How do we get the government and other response organizations prepared?
The answer, just like learning how to ride a bike, is practice. Practice, practice, and more practice.  And this past week, CDC participated in a government-wide exercise that tested our preparedness and response capabilities.  The National Exercise Program Capstone Exercise (NEPCE) 2014External Web Site Icon is a congressionally mandated preparedness exercise to test, assess, and improve the nation’s preparedness and resiliency.  CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) and the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) worked together to participate in this event.  
NEPCE 2014 was designed to educate and prepare the whole community – from schools to businesses and hospitals to families – to prevent, mitigate against, protect from, respond to, and recover from acts of terroristic and catastrophic incidents. This was the first Capstone Exercise, formerly known as National Level Exercise, incorporated into the newly revised National Exercise Plan (NEP)External Web Site Icon, concluding and building on two years of smaller scale exercises.  The NEP includes exercises of all types, designed to engage all levels of government, non-government organizations and private sector organizations. 
This exercise culminated over nine months of interagency planning efforts among DHS, HHS and CDC along with our state and local partners.  CDC planning officials attended planning meetings in Washington, D.C. to integrate CDC operations into the exercise. Additionally, CDC deployed four public health personnel with the HHS Incident Response Coordination Team to Sacramento, California, during the exercise to simulate coordination activities that CDC would normally provide to the impacted population.
History Repeats Itself for Exercise Purposes
The exercise scenario centered on a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska that caused catastrophic damage across multiple communities, requiring federal response and recovery assistance.  A similar event happened in Alaska at the same time in 1964.
As it did 50 years ago, the earthquake resulted in several tsunamis with substantial threat and damage to critical infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and roads, along with injuries, deaths, and population displacement across Alaska and Canada. While national officials confronted earthquake and tsunami impacts, disruption in and around Juneau, the capital, resulted in a requirement for government entities to relocate to alternate sites.
RADM Scott Deitchman, M.D. M.P.H., USPHS, Assistant Surgeon General who is the Associate Director for Environmental Health Emergencies in NCEH/ATSDR served as the Incident Manager and lead for the exercise. He remarked, “I appreciated the opportunity the exercise gave us, like the rest of government, to exercise how we would respond to a catastrophic disaster of this magnitude. A real earthquake, like a nuclear detonation, suddenly puts you in a situation where the things we take for granted – communications systems to give messages to the public, transportation systems to send responders to the area, data systems for collecting surveillance data – all are gone. How do we launch a public health response in that setting? In exercises like this, the goal is to “test to fail” – to see where things break down, in a setting where we can learn without failing people in actual need. That gives us the opportunity to strengthen our response systems in anticipation of a real disaster.”
One of CDC’s primary missions is to ensure that we are prepared to assist the nation to respond to, recover from, and alleviate the impacts of public health disasters.  Participation in last week’s exercise enhanced our overall ability to support our nation during emergency situations. 
During this and other exercises, all aspects of CDC’s response capabilities are tested.  Managed out of CDC’sEmergency Operations Center (EOC), this exercise brought together experts in public health preparedness, as well as those with expertise in earthquakes.  During a real emergency, CDC would activate the EOC in order to help coordinate the Agency’s response.  Although no exercise will truly mimic a real life emergency, we do everything possible to imagine what could happen – from dealing with power outages to delays in supplies reaching affected areas to incorrect media reports and wild rumors – in order to test who we would respond.  After the exercise is over, we work with the other organizations involved and analyze what went well and what could be improved upon next time.
David Maples, Exercise Lead for OPHPR’s Division of Exercise Operations, commented, “The Alaska Shield earthquake exercise provided CDC the primary venue to validate our All-Hazards Plan and its Natural Disaster Annex and Earthquake Appendix.  We engaged our whole of community partners in this exercise at the federal, state and local levels, our tribal partners as well as several non-governmental organizations and private public health partners.  Maintaining these relationships is essential to our ability to get our public health guidance and messaging into the hands of those impacted by an event like this.  In a catastrophic natural disaster similar to the one we just exercised, CDC’s mission is just the beginning. Similar to our real world response to Superstorm Sandy, the recovery phase of an event like this will challenge our public health capabilities for some time.  But that is the goodness of our Public Health Preparedness and Response exercise program; it gives us the opportunity to prepare for no-notice disasters and emergent outbreaks before they occur.”

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