Legal Protections to Promote Response Willingness Among the Local Public Health Workforce

Rutkow, Lainie; Vernick, Jon S.; Thompson, Carol B.; Piltch-Loeb, Rachael; Barnett, Daniel J.

doi:10.1017/dmp.2015.8

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…This suggests that, whenever possible, LHDs should devote resources to securing vaccines and/or countermeasures for staff and their families. 16 Plans for providing vaccines to staff and families during a more common infectious disease response (e.g., seasonal influenza) may differ from those for emerging infectious diseases. 17 Once LHDs commit to protecting staff and their families with vaccines and countermeasures, they should consider how different infectious disease scenarios might impact access and distribution of these materials.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Local Health Department Workers' Participation in Infectious Disease Emergency Responses

Rutkow

Paul

Taylor

et al. 2017

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

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Context Local health departments play a key role in emergency preparedness and respond to a wide range of threats including infectious diseases such as seasonal influenza, tuberculosis, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika. To successfully respond to an infectious disease outbreak, local health departments depend upon the participation of their workforce yet studies indicate that sizable numbers of workers would not participate in such a response. The reasons why local health department workers participate, or fail to participate, in infectious disease responses are not well understood. Objective To understand why local health department workers are willing, or not willing, to report to work during an infectious disease response. Design From April 2015 to January 2016 we conducted 28 semi-structured interviews with local health department directors, preparedness staff, and non-preparedness staff. Setting Interviews were conducted with individuals throughout the U.S. Participants We interviewed 28 individuals across three groups: local health department directors (n=8), preparedness staff (n=10), and non-preparedness staff (n=10). Main Outcome Measures Individuals’ descriptions of why local health department workers are willing, or not willing, to report to work during an infectious disease response. Results Factors that facilitate willingness to respond to an infectious disease emergency included: availability of vaccinations and personal protective equipment; flexible work schedule and childcare arrangements; information sharing via local health department trainings; and perceived commitments to one’s job and community. Factors that hinder willingness to respond to an infectious disease emergency included: potential disease exposure for oneself and one’s family; logistical considerations for care of children, the elderly, and pets; and perceptions about one’s role during an infectious disease response. Conclusions Our findings highlight opportunities for local health departments to revisit their internal policies and engage in strategies likely to promote willingness to respond among their staff.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Local Health Department Workers' Participation in Infectious Disease Emergency Responses

Rutkow

Paul

Taylor

et al. 2017

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prior research has found that over 75% of LPHA workers would be more willing to respond across a range of emergency scenarios if they were guaranteed access to personal protective equipment (PPE). 17 The availability of PPE helps to ensure safety at work, and effective use of PPE depends upon proper training. Similarly, our study found that provision of training and perceived safety at work were both associated with a significantly greater odds of LPHA workers' WTP in DR efforts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our findings indicate that the availability of specific types of support during future DR activities influences LPHA workers’ WTP in these efforts. Prior research has found that over 75% of LPHA workers would be more willing to respond across a range of emergency scenarios if they were guaranteed access to personal protective equipment (PPE) 17 . The availability of PPE helps to ensure safety at work, and effective use of PPE depends upon proper training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Public Health Workers’ Perceptions Toward Participating in Disaster Recovery After Hurricane Sandy: A Quantitative Assessment

Errett

Thompson²,

Rutkow

et al. 2016

Disaster med. public health prep.

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“…Limited data suggest that, if LHDs took certain steps such as guaranteeing access to and training about PPE, response willingness might increase. 8 As training is essential to employees' capacity to fulfill their responsibilities during an emergency, trainings and drills should be offered during standard work hours. Employees should not be expected to participate in trainings outside of their standard work week (e.g., at night, on the weekend).…”

Section: Respect For Persons Building Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Employer Requirements to Work during Emergency Responses: Key Ethics Considerations

Rutkow¹,

Taylor²,

Powell³

2017

J. Law. Med. Ethics

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Local health departments and their employees are at the forefront of emergency preparedness and response. Yet, recent studies have found that some local public health workers are unwilling to report to work in a variety of disaster scenarios. This can greatly compromise a response, as many local health departments need "all hands on deck" to effectively meet increased demands. To address these concerns, local health departments have employed varied policy strategies to ensure that employees do report to work. After describing different approaches taken by local health departments throughout the United States, we briefly identify and explore key ethics considerations that arise for local health departments when employees are required to report to work for emergency responses. We then discuss how these ethics considerations may inform local health department practices intended to promote a robust emergency response.

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Legal Protections to Promote Response Willingness Among the Local Public Health Workforce

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Local Health Department Workers' Participation in Infectious Disease Emergency Responses

Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Local Health Department Workers' Participation in Infectious Disease Emergency Responses

Examining Public Health Workers’ Perceptions Toward Participating in Disaster Recovery After Hurricane Sandy: A Quantitative Assessment

Employer Requirements to Work during Emergency Responses: Key Ethics Considerations

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