About this course

This course introduces the participant to current practices and approaches to community assessment and planning for the purpose of community health improvement. Multiple exercises along the way will culminate in the development of a school/community equity needs assessment report for the participant’s school or district, and a preliminary community health improvement plan that corresponds to state performance measures. The second year of the course will pick up from the community health improvement plan, and guide the development of a specific continuing quality improvement CQI) project.

What you'll learn

By the end of Year 1 of the SCHENA program, participants will be able to:

• See themselves as public health change agents in the school setting
• Apply a racial equity lens in health data collection and interpretation
• Develop a school/community needs assessment and equity-focused community health improvement plan
• Identify strong school/community relationships and ones that still need fostering

Specifically, participants completing this course will develop skills in:

• Planning your assessment activities including identifying important stakeholders and community partners.
• Practicing principles of health equity as you develop community understanding and partnerships.
• Identifying, collecting and presenting health and demographic data about your community (including many new web-based data platforms).
• Documenting sources and consequences of health inequities in the community.
• Designing and conducting key informant interviews and assessment surveys.
• Assembling the information you’ve collected and communicating findings in an assessment report.
• Developing a preliminary Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) which stems from your assessment findings and community input, and promotes health and educational equity.
• Presenting assessment results and CHIP to your community

Learning Resources

Subject Matter Experts

• 
  Candice Belanoff
  ScD, MPH
  

Candice Belanoff, ScD, MPH, is a Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist with a particular interest in the relationship of social forces and inequities to patterns of population health. Candice designed and is the founding Director of the Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation (CAPDIE) certificate program, which has over 100 enrolled students (as of 2018). She also teaches several courses at BUSPH, including Perinatal Epidemiology (MC759), Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion (SB820), and Social Justice and the Health of Populations: Racism and other systems of oppression (MC775).

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

The materials for this course may be audited at no cost. No credit or certificates are provided for this option. Auditing is recommended for anyone who wants to review the course material, access resources, or to refresh skills. Completion of a pre-test is required to begin the audit but, once you’ve completed the pre-test, you will have future access to the course without having to repeat it.

About this course

Do you write a lot of emails, memos, meeting minutes, or reports? Are you looking to increase the impact of your writing? If so, this hands-on workshop is for you. 

This workshop is designed for people at all levels of public health who are looking to boost their writing skills, especially managers seeking to improve their written communication approaches with teams.

Select participants will be offered  online coaching to work on specific pieces of writing.

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  Dr. Ariela Freedman,
  Maven Tree Consulting

The workshop will be taught by Dr. Ariela Freedman of MavenTree Consulting, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Freedman is an experienced trainer with over 20 years of experience in education and public health, including CDC, state and local public health departments, Head Start, nonprofits, and public schools. Dr. Freedman earned her PhD from Emory University where she has also served as an Assistant Research Professor and is now adjunct faculty. Her workshops are known for being interactive, fun, and designed for immediate use back in the office.

Contact Hours

The Certificate of Completion will include the length of the module. Generally 50 – 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 contact hour. Contact hours may be applicable towards continuing education requirements for certain credentials. Check with your credentialing body to verify if the topic meets its continuing education requirements.

For those already registered, you will receive an enrollment key ahead of the start date to access the full course page.
Enter the enrollment key provided in your email in the field below and then select Enroll me

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

About this course

Traditionally in health and social service organizations, financial management and budgeting responsibilities have been the purview of the chief financial officer, accountants, and budget analysts. However, today, front-line managers are being called upon to integrate fiscal planning and management into their clinical and operational responsibilities.

As a public health leader, are you adept in financial management and budgeting principles, concepts and tools? Or, are you looking to further your knowledge and skills in this area.

This program is intended for public health leaders who have limited knowledge, skills and experience with financial management and budgeting or those wish to review and/or refresh their knowledge of fiscal principles.

What you will learn

After completing this course you will be able to:

• Recognize the importance of financial management in the efficiency and effectiveness of day-to-day and long-term public health service delivery in the community.
• Understand financial management and budgeting terminology often encountered in not-for-profit and governmental public health settings.
• Differentiate among types of budgets applicable in a public health setting.
• Examine the importance of and develop beginning knowledge about budgeting processes including budget preparation and variance analyses.

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  Dr. Rebecca Arsenault,
  Arsenault Consulting

The program will be taught by Dr. Rebecca Arsenault of Arsenault Consulting, based in Raymond, Maine. Dr. Arsenault has 35+ years of experience in health care administration, including responsibility for leading hospitals, physician practices and community health agencies. Rebecca earned a master's degree in community health from Boston University and a doctorate in health services administration from Capella University. Currently, Dr. Arsenault serves as adjunct faculty in University of New England's graduate public health program and Southern New Hampshire University's health care administration graduate program.

Contact Hours

The Certificate of Completion will include the length of the module. Generally 50 – 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 contact hour. Contact hours may be applicable towards continuing education requirements for certain credentials. Check with your credentialing body to verify if the topic meets its continuing education requirements.

For those already registered, you will receive an enrollment key ahead of the start date to access the full course page.
Enter the enrollment key provided in your email in the field below and then select Enroll me

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

About this course

Massachusetts law (MGL Chapter 71, Section 97) requires verbal substance use health screenings in public schools. SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) is being used as a comprehensive approach to meet this mandate. This course prepares learners to manage school SBIRT programs and apply best practices in screening, reinforcing healthy choices, and intervening when students report substance use behaviors.

This course includes both live classroom and online training content.  Health professionals seeking contact hours and nurses seeking licensure as school nurses must complete all components of this course.

• The online lesson of this course describes the impact of substance use on teens, regulatory requirements for conducting verbal substance use screenings in schools, and key elements of the SBIRT in Schools program.
  
• The live class allows learners practice SBIRT skills including screening, providing positive reinforcement, conducting brief negotiated interviews using Motivational Interviewing principles, and making referrals.

What you'll learn

After completing the full course, you will be able to:

• Implement a school verbal substance use screening program according to MA regulatory requirements
• Describe the impact of substance use on teens
• Conduct verbal substance use screenings using state approved tools.
• Deliver positive reinforcement using the REACT model
• Conduct a Brief Negotiated Interview using Motivational Interviewing strategies
• Determine when to make a referral

Subject Matter Experts

• Angela Cooper, Cred, Trainer, MASBIRT TTA
• Alissa Cruz, MPH, Program Director, MASBIRT TTA
• Lee Ellenberg, LICSW, Training Manager, MASBIRT TTA
• Alex Heinz, MSW, MPH, Trainer, MASBIRT TTA
• Beverly Heinze-Lacey, MPH, BSN, RN, CNE Nurse Planner
• Caitlin Pettengill, DNP, RN, Assistant Director of School Health Services, MDPH
• Wanda Visnick, MSN, RN, NCSN, HN-BC
• Enid Watson, MDiv, Trainer, MASBIRT TTA

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

The materials for this course may be audited at no cost. No credit or certificates are provided for this option. Auditing is recommended for anyone who wants to review the course material, access resources, or to refresh skills. Completion of a pre-test is required to begin the audit but, once you’ve completed the pre-test, you will have future access to the course without having to repeat it.

Course resources (i.e., forms, regulations, guidelines, ebook) are also available in SHIELD’s SBIRT in Schools Resources Section (the 4th gray box down the page).

About this course

School nurses play an essential role in keeping students healthy, safe and ready to learn. When taking on a position in schools, nurses don’t always understand their role beyond providing clinical services to students. They need additional information about the roles they must assume to be leaders and public health partners to assure health and wellness - in their school, district, and community.

This foundational course introduces the laws, regulations and guidelines that affect professional school nursing practice in Massachusetts. Key topics relevant to school nursing, such as health equity, emergency preparedness, communicable diseases, behavioral health, and managing complex health conditions are discussed.

This is one of four training workshops mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) in order to be licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) as a School Nurse.

This course consists of 3 online lessons and a 2-day live class.  Learners must complete the first two lessons prior to registering for the live class. After the live class, they will return online to complete the lesson three, post-test and course evaluation – a code will be provided at the end of the live class to access these.  Please note:  Learners will be required to pay the $180 registration fee at the time of registration for the live class.

What you'll learn

After completing the training, you will be able to:

• Support student health and academic success
• Contribute to a healthy and safe school environment
• Act as health and wellness leaders in their school, district, and community
  

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  o Beverly Heinze-Lacey, MPH, BSN, RN

  Director SHIELD/ Nurse Planner,
  BUSPH
  

Special acknowledgements

• Thank you to the MA School Nurse Regional Consultants and the MA Department of Public Health School Health Services Unit for their contributions to this course design.
• A special thank you to Mary Ann Gapinski, MSN, RN, NCSN, former Director of School Health Services, for her expertise, guidance, and support in preparing this course.

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

About this course

Do you write a lot of emails, memos, meeting minutes, or reports? Are you looking to increase the impact of your writing? If so, this hands-on workshop is for you. 

This workshop is designed for people at all levels of public health who are looking to boost their writing skills, especially managers seeking to improve their written communication approaches with teams.

Select participants will be offered  online coaching to work on specific pieces of writing.

Subject Matter Expert

• 
  Dr. Ariela Freedman,
  Maven Tree Consulting

The workshop will be taught by Dr. Ariela Freedman of MavenTree Consulting, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Freedman is an experienced trainer with over 20 years of experience in education and public health, including CDC, state and local public health departments, Head Start, nonprofits, and public schools. Dr. Freedman earned her PhD from Emory University where she has also served as an Assistant Research Professor and is now adjunct faculty. Her workshops are known for being interactive, fun, and designed for immediate use back in the office.

Contact Hours

The Certificate of Completion will include the length of the module. Generally 50 – 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 contact hour. Contact hours may be applicable towards continuing education requirements for certain credentials. Check with your credentialing body to verify if the topic meets its continuing education requirements.

For those already registered, you will receive an enrollment key ahead of the start date to access the full course page.
Enter the enrollment key provided in your email in the field below and then select Enroll me

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org

About this Course

The course is now at capacity - we are not accepting new applications.

Enrollment and Contact Hours

This course offers a cross-disciplinary approach to local public health practice in Massachusetts and is based on the three core functions and ten essential public health services. It incorporates the US Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 goals and objectives.

The course goal is for Massachusetts public health workers charged with carrying out routine and emergency environmental and population-focused health functions to appropriately provide the ten essential public health services according to local and state laws, regulations, and policies.

Course participants may be Massachusetts local or state public health agency:

• Staff

  Includes Agents, Directors, Emergency Preparedness Coordinators and Planners, Environmental Health Sanitarians or Specialists, Health Inspectors, Health Officers, Sanitarians and Public Health Nurses

• Governing Bodies

  Includes Board of Health members -elected or appointed and Commissioners

• Consultants

  Working for state or local public health agencies

The course is appropriate for professionals new to the field as well as for professionals with experience who have an interest in advancing their knowledge and skills.

Participation in the course requires:

1. Written supervisor approval
2. Two to six hours of work per week (multiple break weeks are built in)
   1. Attendance at all live lessons (classes and webinars)
   2. Completion of self-paced E-Learnings
   3. Completion of individual assignments
3. Successful completion of the course requires ALL assignments be completed and ALL live sessions attended

Graduates will receive a certificate of completion and up to 17.5 continuing education credits. Self-paced trainings completed as part of the course offer additional certificates and credits.

What you'll learn

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply the ten essential public health services in local practice
• Employ cross disciplinary partnerships
• Perform routine and emergency environmental and population-focused health functions according to local and state laws, regulations, and policies

This is a blended course and each weekly session will include live lessons (classroom or webinar) or self-paced E-Learnings. Lessons are taught by instructors who are subject matter experts in their field of study. Lessons include optional resources for participants to learn more about each topic.

All course materials will be posted on the New England Public Health Training Center learning management system.

Meet the Course Manager

Seth Eckhouse,
Course Manager

Sponsors

• Local Public Health Institute of Massachusetts
• New England Public Health Training Center

Enrollment and Contact Hours

About this course

The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge and hands-on planning experience incorporating the Incident Command System (ICS) into your Center’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and customizing ICS tools for your Center’s use. The training will consist of two 90 minute webinars with a team project in between. Webinar #1 will provide an understanding of key incident management concepts for FQHCs, based on the Healthcare Incident Command System (HICS) model, including how it is incorporated into the EOP. Following the webinar, participants will update their Center’s EOP as a team and customize standard HICS tools for their center. Technical assistance will be available to Center teams as requested during the 4-week period between the two webinars. On webinar #2, participants will share their accomplishments and challenges updating their plans and tools followed by a presentation on how to draft and execute a workplace exercise to test their organization’s utilization of HICS.

This training is a collaboration between NEPHTC, the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness and the Maine Primary Care Association.

What you'll learn

This course provides practical knowledge on how to apply basic HICS principals and concepts in the Community Health Center environment. Successful participants will improve their ability to apply HICS by updating ICS aspects of their EOP and customizing ICS tools for their centers. The training is appropriate for individuals with all levels of experience with emergency operations planning.

After completing this course, you will be able to...

• Discuss the importance and purpose of utilizing HICS to manage the response to an incident.
• Discuss how HICS is incorporated into the organizational Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
• Describe the primary functions and management principles of HICS.
• Recognize the key HICS tools and forms used in incident management.
• Update the organizational EOP to enhance the use of HICS when the plan is activated
• Select HICS tools and forms to be used within the organization and adapt them as necessary.
• Provide examples of common challenges updating an organizational EOP and associated HICS tools.
• Identify initial steps to draft an exercise to test the use of HICS in a simulated EOP activation.
• Locate resources to support the design and execution of an exercise.
• Summarize course key concepts

Instructors

• 
  Mea Allen
  Associate Director of Education and Training
  Boston Public Health Commission's
  Office of Public Health Preparedness
  Delvalle Institute for Emergency Preparedness
• 
  Gina Smith, RN
  Adjunct Instructor, Delvalle Institute
  Director of Emergency Management,
  UMass Memorial Medical Center

Enrollment and Completion

To enroll in this course, please select the Enroll Me button below. Note that centers are strongly encouraged to register as teams of 2 to 5 staff from each Center.

This course is designed for Community Health Center staff. Participants must attend both webinars and participate in the team project in order to receive a NEPHTC Certificate of Completion. Any questions about the program or enrollment can be directed to Kathi Traugh at kathi.traugh@yale.edu or by calling 203-785-2868.

About this course

The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge and hands-on planning experience incorporating the Incident Command System (ICS) into your Center’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and customizing ICS tools for your Center’s use. The training will consist of two 90 minute webinars with a team project in between. Webinar #1 will provide an understanding of key incident management concepts for FQHCs, based on the Healthcare Incident Command System (HICS) model, including how it is incorporated into the EOP. Following the webinar, participants will update their Center’s EOP as a team and customize standard HICS tools for their center. Technical assistance will be available to Center teams as requested during the 4-week period between the two webinars. On webinar #2, participants will share their accomplishments and challenges updating their plans and tools followed by a presentation on how to draft and execute a workplace exercise to test their organization’s utilization of HICS.

This training is a collaboration between NEPHTC, the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

What you'll learn

This course provides practical knowledge on how to apply basic HICS principals and concepts in the Community Health Center environment. Successful participants will improve their ability to apply HICS by updating ICS aspects of their EOP and customizing ICS tools for their centers. The training is appropriate for individuals with all levels of experience with emergency operations planning.

After completing this course, you will be able to...

• Discuss the importance and purpose of utilizing HICS to manage the response to an incident.
• Discuss how HICS is incorporated into the organizational Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
• Describe the primary functions and management principles of HICS.
• Recognize the key HICS tools and forms used in incident management.
• Update the organizational EOP to enhance the use of HICS when the plan is activated
• Select HICS tools and forms to be used within the organization and adapt them as necessary.
• Provide examples of common challenges updating an organizational EOP and associated HICS tools.
• Identify initial steps to draft an exercise to test the use of HICS in a simulated EOP activation.
• Locate resources to support the design and execution of an exercise.
• Summarize course key concepts

Instructors

• 
  Mea Allen
  Associate Director of Education and Training
  Boston Public Health Commission's
  Office of Public Health Preparedness
  Delvalle Institute for Emergency Preparedness
• 
  Tina T. Wright
  Program Manager
  Emergency Management and Public Information
  Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
• 
  Gina Smith, RN
  Adjunct Instructor, Delvalle Institute
  Director of Emergency Management,
  UMass Memorial Medical Center

Enrollment and Completion

To enroll in this course, please select the Enroll Me button below. Note that centers are strongly encouraged to register as teams of 2 to 5 staff from each Center.

This course is designed for Community Health Center staff. Participants must attend both webinars and participate in the team project in order to receive a NEPHTC Certificate of Completion. Any questions about the program or enrollment can be directed to Kathi Traugh at kathi.traugh@yale.edu or by calling 203-785-2868.

About this Course

This course is designed to strengthen the management skills of the current or future heads of local or regional health departments and managers or directors in city or state public health agencies in Massachusetts.

This is a team-based course taught in a blended format over four months. Once enrolled, you will be placed in a team and each team will be assigned a mentor. Your mentor will be an experienced public health professional who will guide your team discussion assignments.

At the conclusion of the course a graduation ceremony will be held. A certificate of completion and 25 contact hours will be issued once you submit the final post test and course evaluation. Self-paced modules that you completed as part of the course offer additional certificates and credits.

What you'll learn

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the need and urgency to manage differently in today’s environment
• Describe new information, tools, and resources to help manage more effectively
• Demonstrate enhanced skills to better manage all aspects of public health organizations

Each week’s lesson(s) will have specific learning objectives that are connected directly to the assignments and team discussions. Lessons include optional resources for you to learn more about each topic and have instructors who are subject matter experts in their field of study.

• 
  Kathleen MacVarish,
  Course Director
• 
  Seth Eckhouse,
  Course Manager

Enrollment and Contact Hours

Note that you must first register for this course by completing a registration form (PDF). Once your registration has been confirmed, you will receive an enrollment key to access the course.

Once the final post-test and course evaluation are submitted, participants will receive a certificate of completion and 25 contact hours. Self-paced trainings completed as part of the course may offer additional certificates and credits.

Trouble accessing the course or other course-related questions? Contact Seth Eckhouse at seckhous@bu.edu.

DISCLAIMER:
This training and all supporting material was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, under B01OT009024. Additionally, this training was supported by the Grant Number, 5U90TP116997-10, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. This project is also supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP27877.
The views and opinions expressed as part of the training and all related documents and course materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions or the official position of, or endorsement by, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program, or that of HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About this Course

This course is designed to train public health and housing officials to comprehensively and uniformly enforce housing-related laws and regulations, including State Sanitary Codes (SSC) 105 CMR 400.000: General Administrative Procedures and 410.000: Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation, which we will refer to as 400 and 410, respectively.

At the conclusion of the course, a Certificate of Completion will be provided to all learners who successfully complete the 5 course elements listed below. A contact hour certificate (7.5 hours/day) can be printed or saved after evaluations are submitted at the conclusion of each of the three classroom days. Self-paced modules that you completed as part of the course offer additional certificates and credits.

Course Elements consist of the following:

1. Pre-Classroom Assignments (include prerequisite online trainings and a pre-test)
2. Classroom Training (3 days)
3. Virtual House Inspection
4. Supervised Field Training (minimum of 5)
5. Online Final Assessment (minimum grade of 70% to pass)
   

What you'll learn

After completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Inspect various types of housing to protect the health, safety, and well-being of occupants and the general public, in accordance with state laws and regulations
• Conduct appropriate enforcement procedures until compliance with regulatory standards is achieved

Meet the Primary Instructors

• 
  Paul Halfmann,
  Assistant Director of Community Sanitation Program
  Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• 
  Amy Riordian,
  Environmental Analyst
  MDPH Community Sanitation Program

Enrollment and Contact Hours

The May 2019 class is now full. For those already registered, you will receive an enrollment key ahead of the start date to access the course materials and pre-work assignments

Enter the enrollment key provided in your email in the field below and then select Enroll me.

Trouble accessing the course or other course-related questions? Contact Seth Eckhouse at seckhous@bu.edu.

About this course

As school health infrastructure grows and matures, there is a need for advancing evidence-based practices (EBP). EBP integrates the best available evidence to guide nursing care and improve patient outcomes; this method allows the practitioner to assess research, clinical guidelines, and other information resources based on high quality findings and apply results to practice. Central to EBP is quantitative research methods.

This course will focus on the basics of quantitative research methods spanning from research theory and design to statistical analysis and interpreting results for conducting high-quality research. Course competencies will be developed through the use of applied activities, both in class and through assigned homework, which will enable students to learn key concepts by applying them directly to a research project. Aspects of the research process such as drafting a research question, identifying sources of data, measuring associations, and disseminating findings via publications will be used as part of the course activities.

Quantitative Research Methods has been designed for all levels and will be conducted over eight, two-hour sessions. This course will count for 14 hours of Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) credit; homework is optional and will not count toward CNE credits.

Meet the Instructors

• 
  Carol Dolan, PhD

  Clinical Assistant Professor,
  Boston University 
  School of Public Health
  

• 
  Candice Belanoff, ScD, MPH

  Clinical Assistant Professor,
  Boston University 
  School of Public Health
  

Having trouble accessing the course? Contact support@nephtc.org