Public health emergencies require strategic preparedness and rapid response from public health organizations. In next week's assignment, you will prioritize actions to respond to a Monkeypox outbreak. In this activity, you describe the role of a chosen public health agency or organization to combat such an outbreak as well as key organizations that will partner with them.
Preparation
Choose and research a public health care agency/organization located in your state, county, or city that is involved in public vaccination efforts. As you examine your organization, consider the key partners and stakeholders that will aid in the efforts as well as the organization's mission, personnel, and population served.
Download the Week 6 Activity Template [DOCX] and use it to complete your work.
Instructions
Identify a public state, county, or city healthcare agency or organization and do the following using the Week 6 Activity Template:
Part 1: The Organization
Describe the following aspects of your chosen organization/agency as they relate to immunization programs or efforts.
Mission.
Summary of services.
Population served.
Role (What contributions does the organization make to local vaccination efforts? How do they work with other organizations to provide this service?)
Key organizational leadership staff/positions.
Part 2: Partner Organizations
Describe three partner organizations that are essential to the vaccination drive and outline their respective functional roles and responsibilities associated with it. Some examples are churches, federal agencies, hospitals, Non-governmental organizations, other government agencies, et cetera.
Role: In a Monkeypox vaccination effort, the NYC DOHMH serves as the central coordinating body. It's responsible for receiving vaccine shipments from the federal government, managing the city's vaccine supply chain, and establishing a strategic distribution plan. The department directly operates its own public health clinics as key vaccination sites. It also works collaboratively with hospitals and community-based partners to ensure equitable vaccine access. It leads public health communication, providing accurate information to the public about the outbreak and the importance of vaccination.
Key Organizational Leadership Staff/Positions:
Commissioner of Health
Deputy Commissioner for Disease Control
Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Immunization
Directors of district public health offices
Part 2: Partner Organizations
A successful public health response requires a network of key partners to reach the entire population effectively. Here are three essential partners for the vaccination drive.
Hospitals and Health Systems:
Functional Role: These organizations are crucial for rapid, large-scale vaccine administration. They manage their own vaccine clinics and can quickly scale up to meet demand.
Responsibilities: Their primary responsibilities are to administer the vaccine to at-risk patients and healthcare workers, manage the clinical data of vaccinated individuals, and provide medical care for severe cases of the disease. They also play a vital role in communicating with patients about vaccine availability and safety.
Community-Based Organizations (CBOs):
Functional Role: CBOs, such as local non-profits, faith-based groups, and LGBTQ+ community centers, are essential for trust-building and community outreach. They have established relationships with hard-to-reach populations that may distrust government agencies.
Sample Answer
Part 1: The Organization
The chosen organization is the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). It's a large, well-established agency with a long history of managing public health crises.
Mission: Its mission is to protect and promote the health of all New Yorkers. This involves preventing disease, fostering healthy environments, and providing access to quality healthcare for the city's diverse population.
Summary of Services: The NYC DOHMH offers a wide range of services, including disease surveillance and outbreak investigation, restaurant and environmental health inspections, sexual health clinics, and extensive immunization programs for various diseases, including flu, measles, and most recently, Monkeypox. They also provide mental health and substance abuse services.
Population Served: The agency serves all 8.5 million residents of New York City, with a particular focus on addressing health disparities in marginalized and vulnerable communities.