Community capacity to conduct population-based health improvement work is severely lacking in most parts of the country. Most of the expertise in public health resides within local and state health departments and is deployed at the community level with varying levels of success. Fortunately, there is a little known program out of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention known as the Public Health Prevention Service. This program places individuals known as “Prevention Specialists” in public health settings – both governmental and community-based – for two years. Prevention Specialists come at no cost to the participating agencies and bring Master’s level training and at least two years of public health experience, including one year at the CDC.
APCA has been in a competitive process for the placement of a Prevention Specialist since January. I will be traveling to the CDC in Atlanta in early July to personally meet with a Specialist who has expressed interest in working with us for the next two years. This will be the final leg of a matching process that began in April with Specialists and agencies meeting each other (by phone) about mutual needs and opportunities. Currently, there are more than 50 agencies involved in the competition for one of the 25 available Prevention Specialists (down from the 177 agencies that submitted a letter of intent back in January).
APCA is one of just a handful of community-based organizations left standing within the process. The large majority of Prevention Specialist applicants are local and state health departments. In fact, community-based organizations like APCA are only eligible to apply for a Prevention Specialist with an active collaboration with a local or state health department. Thanks to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health for its willingness to partner with us on this project.
Wish me luck on my recruitment trip to Atlanta. I will update the blog on this matter after I return.
- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director
APCA has been in a competitive process for the placement of a Prevention Specialist since January. I will be traveling to the CDC in Atlanta in early July to personally meet with a Specialist who has expressed interest in working with us for the next two years. This will be the final leg of a matching process that began in April with Specialists and agencies meeting each other (by phone) about mutual needs and opportunities. Currently, there are more than 50 agencies involved in the competition for one of the 25 available Prevention Specialists (down from the 177 agencies that submitted a letter of intent back in January).
APCA is one of just a handful of community-based organizations left standing within the process. The large majority of Prevention Specialist applicants are local and state health departments. In fact, community-based organizations like APCA are only eligible to apply for a Prevention Specialist with an active collaboration with a local or state health department. Thanks to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health for its willingness to partner with us on this project.
Wish me luck on my recruitment trip to Atlanta. I will update the blog on this matter after I return.
- Doug Hirano, MPH, APCA Executive Director
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