Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) train front-line workers in state and local health departments, preparing them to protect American citizens in the event of a public health emergency – inclusive of infectious, environmental, occupational, and terrorist threats. Created in 2000 with CDC funding, the network of 27 centers located in graduate, accredited schools of public health, has already reached thousands of public health workers through applied training and targeted technical expertise aimed at defending communities in real-world crises. The Arizona Center for Public Health Preparedness (AzCPHP) at the University of Arizona, Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, was established in August 2005, as one of the newest academic CPHP training centers added to the national network. The AzCPHP aims to improve the capacity of the public health workforce to respond to any public health emergency in Arizona and the Southwest. A unique aspect of the AzCPHP preparedness training curriculum includes the development of culturally competent preparedness materials appropriate to Arizona’s tribal nations and to the U.S.-Mexico border region. The AzCPHP fills a unique gap in responding to the specialized needs of the state, county, tribal and cross-border partners, building on well-established collaborations. AzCPHP offers a three-part Certificate Program in Public Health Preparedness that provides a comprehensive framework for public health professionals, public health managers, administrators, and leaders involved in all aspects of public health preparedness. The Certificate in Public Health Preparedness is a 40-hour program of study delivered in a blended instruction format. The curriculum is competency based and utilizes the core competencies for all public health workers developed by Columbia University School of Nursing and sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The certificate program consists of the following components:
- Introduction to Public Health Preparedness: This online course provides an overview of public health and the new role of public health in emergency preparedness, planning, and response.
- Preparedness in the Southwest: This 16-module course provides a comprehensive understanding and an all-hazards approach of the preparedness needs of Arizona and the Southwest.
- Arizona Public Health Preparedness Seminar Series: The seminar series is a six-session bi-monthly, one-hour presentation of preparedness topics presented by national, state, and local subject matter experts on emergency preparedness, planning, and response. The seminars allow for an interdisciplinary exchange of information and are presented live at the Arizona Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona. They are also accessible to our statewide partners via live video-conference. In addition, the seminars are video streamed and archived on the AzCPHP training website.
Additionally, AzCPHP provides training to public health graduate students through the Student Aid for Field Epidemiological Response team. To date, over 40 public health graduate students have been trained in outbreak response and have taken part in conducting disease investigations through partnerships with the Arizona Department of Health Services, Pima County Health Department, and the Maricopa County Department of Health.For more information on training opportunities, log onto: www.azcphp.publichealth.arizona.eduOr contact us at:Arizona Center for Public Health PreparednessMel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health1435 N. Fremont Ave.Tucson, AZ 85719Phone: (520) 622-8971Fax: (520) 882-5014