H-PERLC – Services and Evaluation Projects

Evaluation Methods in Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Over the past 10 years, our team has delivered a wide variety of data driven products and reports and provided technical assistance to state, local governments and federal agencies in the area of public health system analysis, and public health performance measurement in emergency preparedness.

Our team is specialized in the conduction of: Interviews; Focus Groups, Nominal Group and Delphi Techniques, and in the development of Surveys and Checklists in Emergency Preparedness.

Below is a list of some of the projects we have conducted.

• Performed Systematic Literature Reviews
• Derived lessons learned from local and state after action reports.
• Performed Public Health Hazards Vulnerability Analysis.
• Assessed local and state health departments’ barriers to the administration of emergency preparedness funds.
• Assessed the impact of leadership trainings on crisis response capabilities. 
• Developed over 100 exercise and real event based After Action Reports.
• Analyzed LHDs’ administrative costs of conducting exercises.
• Identified local barriers in the conduction of exercises and drills & development of after action reports.
• Analyzed planning efforts during “Operation Helping Hands” (OHH), the Massachusetts’ response in assisting Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
• Analyzed the 2004 Democratic National Convention Medical Consequence Management Plan
• Analyzed the 2003 public health response to the Mass Arsenic Poisoning at the Gustav Adolph Lutheran Church, Maine.
• Analyzed workforce preparedness training needs in the state of Connecticut and New Hampshire.
• Developed a toolkit to assess the effectiveness of engaging MRC volunteers during flu clinic activities and associated publication.
• Evaluated performance data from over 100 exercises involving more than 300 cities and towns, reaching over 7,000 participants. (Example 1, Example 2, Example 3)
• Provided data analysis to local agencies for the Public Health Ready Project.
• Performed survey analysis (Example 1, Example 2)

Customized Training in Public Health Emergency Preparedness

H-PERLC faculty and experts are available to provide advanced and customizable disaster planning and response training for both the public and private sectors.

H-PERLC trainings help develop skills in disaster assessment, response, and recovery through flexible on-line or in-person courses. Audiences include public health professionals, municipal personnel, health care workers, first responders, public safety, business continuity planners, and others interested in disaster/emergency management.

Below is a list of some of our training projects:

• Developed a series of online training modules for Connecticut Strategic National Stockpile antidote response.
• Evaluated effectiveness of Incident Command System Training (ICS) as part of overall community preparedness for state-wide Hazard Vulnerability Analysis. (HVA interviews)
• Created self-study courses in Emergency Planning and Risk Communication
• Developed course on applying Incident Command System (ICS) principles to Public Health
• Delivered web-based training on the use of exercises to enhance and measure preparedness.

Customizable Trainings

• Risk Communication at the Local and State Levels
• Hazard Vulnerability Analysis for Agencies and Businesses
• Natural Hazards Impact on Disaster Planning
• Effective Implementation of After-Action Report Improvement Plan
• Maximizing Throughput of Your Emergency Dispensing Site
• Working with Your Local Emergency Operations Center
• Redundant Communication Systems for Public Health
• Continuity of Operations for Public Health
• Integrating Incident Command System into Public Health Response
• Key Steps in Creating Public Health Emergency Operations Plans
• Public Health Roles in Mass Sheltering

Hazard Vulnerability Anaylysis for Public Health