Heartland Center for
Public Health Preparedness

The Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness is part of a national network of Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHPs) established through joint collaboration of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Association of Schools of Public Health.  The CPHP program was initiated in 2000 to strengthen terrorism and emergency preparedness by linking academic expertise to state and local health agency needs. This unique program brings together fifty-two community colleges, colleges, and universities with a common focus on public health preparedness to establish a national network of education and training resources.  The five year CPHP cooperative agreement (2004-2009) goals consist of the following:

  1. Strengthen public health workforce readiness through implementation of programs for life long learning
  2. Strengthen capacity at State and local levels for terrorism preparedness and emergency public health response
  3. Develop a network of academic-based programs contributing to national terrorism preparedness and emergency response by sharing expertise and resources across State and local jurisdictions

Core HCPHP partners include Saint Louis University School of Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita, Kentucky University College of Public Health, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kentucky Department of Public Health.

The Mission of the Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness (HCPHP) is to…“Link with state and local health agencies and other partners to train the public health workforce and other first responders and to improve their capacity to respond and provide essential services in bio-terrorist incidents, emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats and emergencies.” HCPHP operations are designed to support national guidelines and standards, and related objectives identified in Missouri, Kansas, and Kentucky public health bioterrorism and preparedness planning documents.  Fundamental functions associated with all Center activities are to:

  1. Develop, strengthen and sustain public health workforce readiness through implementation of programs for life-long learning
  2. Develop and implement certification and competency-based education, training and exercise programs and products to strengthen local and state capacity for terrorism preparedness and emergency public health response
  3. Continue to utilize workforce development needs, assets and capacity assessment data to prioritize education and training objectives, methods and strategies
  4. Evaluate and perform research to demonstrate the impact of education, training and exercise programs
  5. Share expertise and resources across local, state, regional and national jurisdictions to contribute to CPHP Network and development of national emergency preparedness and response capacity
  6. Use technology mediated instruction and communications, including the Heartland Centers Learning Management System, to increase access to training opportunities
Program Spotlight

 

 

 

 
Emerging Leaders Institute

The Emerging Leaders Institute is sponsored by the UIC-SPH Center for Public Health Practice and the Heartland Centers at St. Louis University, School of Public Health. The Institute is part of a continuum of training programs that strengthen the public health workforce through coordinated training and organizational development. The Emerging Leaders Institute builds public health practice by combining cutting edge face-to-face training with individual infrastructure improvement projects. As the conclusion of the program, Fellows will be prepared to assume leadership positions within their agencies, and will have the skills necessary to lead collaborative initiatives that characterize public health practice.

Kick-Off Conference
May 14-16, 2008
UIC-SPH in Chicago, IL

Dates and locations for the six and twelve month meetings will be announced soon! For eligibility and fee information, contact Rani Saxena at
312-996-7919 or at rmishra@uic.edu


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