Bridging the Gap: Internal Collaboration to Prevent the Spread of Infectious Diseases in the Health Department
Abstract
Cobb & Douglas Public Heath (CDPH) fosters a close partnership between the agency’s Clinical Services and Acute Disease Epidemiology Section (ADES) programs. And the prevention of infectious diseases being spread within the agency’s health departments is an ongoing priority. This partnership has enabled timely updates to the clinical screening tool that is used in all the CDPH clinic locations. The screening tool is incorporated in the Visual HealthNet (VHN) electronic medical record intake process and incorporated into every clinical visit to identify potentially infectious persons being seen at CDPH clinics. The screening questions asked by front desk staff have changed over time as the epidemiology of diseases change. Important updates were made as various public health threats emerged, from the global threats of Ebola (2014) and Zika (2016), to local varicella exposures and a local measles outbreak (both in 2019), to the most current changes resulting from COVID-19 (2020) and Mpox (2022).
Additional disease prevention tool have included:
- “STOP” infectious disease symptom door clings created for the entrance doors of all health centers
- Sani-stands (hand sanitizer, masks, tissues) at the entrance of all health centers
- Coordination of testing by nurses of suspect infectious respiratory illness cases (i.e. measles, varicella, mumps, pertussis) to keep them out of waiting areas and frequented clinic rooms. This coordination has included testing in the car or at the patient’s home, as well as bringing them in the back door of a clinic at the end of a workday to an exam room.
- Collaboration on updating the agency’s Employee Health policy and tracking of vaccinations and TB testing .
Keywords
Epidemiology, infectious diseases, disease prevention, health departments, employee health
Bridging the Gap: Internal Collaboration to Prevent the Spread of Infectious Diseases in the Health Department
Cobb & Douglas Public Heath (CDPH) fosters a close partnership between the agency’s Clinical Services and Acute Disease Epidemiology Section (ADES) programs. And the prevention of infectious diseases being spread within the agency’s health departments is an ongoing priority. This partnership has enabled timely updates to the clinical screening tool that is used in all the CDPH clinic locations. The screening tool is incorporated in the Visual HealthNet (VHN) electronic medical record intake process and incorporated into every clinical visit to identify potentially infectious persons being seen at CDPH clinics. The screening questions asked by front desk staff have changed over time as the epidemiology of diseases change. Important updates were made as various public health threats emerged, from the global threats of Ebola (2014) and Zika (2016), to local varicella exposures and a local measles outbreak (both in 2019), to the most current changes resulting from COVID-19 (2020) and Mpox (2022).
Additional disease prevention tool have included:
- “STOP” infectious disease symptom door clings created for the entrance doors of all health centers
- Sani-stands (hand sanitizer, masks, tissues) at the entrance of all health centers
- Coordination of testing by nurses of suspect infectious respiratory illness cases (i.e. measles, varicella, mumps, pertussis) to keep them out of waiting areas and frequented clinic rooms. This coordination has included testing in the car or at the patient’s home, as well as bringing them in the back door of a clinic at the end of a workday to an exam room.
- Collaboration on updating the agency’s Employee Health policy and tracking of vaccinations and TB testing .
