Check out the following articles and publications related to the Western Region Public Health Training Center:
HRSA's Investment in Public Health Training Centers
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the relevance, importance, and value of the nation’s public health workforce. Although not as easily defined or demarcated as other health professions, public health is a critical health workforce specialty, just as primary care physicians, nurses, dentists, and other health professions whose training is supported by the Health Resources and Service Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Workforce. Comprising both the Preventive Medicine Residency program and the Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs), the Bureau’s public health workforce portfolio, although relatively small, is a unique and critical component of the federal government’s overall public health efforts. A previous supplement in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice discussed the activities of the Preventive Medicine Residency program.1 In this volume, we focus on the PHTCs and their role in training the US public health workforce.
September/October 2022 - Community health workers (CHWs) are vital frontline public health workers. Given their trusted roles and connection to and understanding of the communities they serve, CHWs are able to link underserved communities to resources and public health agencies. With CHWs' increased prominence in the public health workforce, calls have been made for expanding and supporting CHW training and career development opportunities. Public health training centers (PHTCs) are mandated to assess public health workforce needs, provide evidence-based professional development trainings, and increase students' aptitude for working with underserved and underresourced communities through applied practice experiences. Public health training centers can support CHWs in each of these areas.
$4.1M awarded to help recruit, train public health workers in rural Arizona communities
October 2022 - A training center in Tucson is using new funding to help recruit and retain public health workers in rural areas. A part of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the center was awarded $4.1 million earlier this year by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to continue training and continuing education programs for public health professionals in the western United States and U.S. Pacific Islands.
Zuckerman College of Public Health Awarded $4M to Provide Training for Regional Professionals
August 2022 - The Western Region Public Health Tranining Center, part of the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public health, was awarded $4.1 million by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to continue training and continuing education programs for public health professionals in the western United States and U.S. Pacific Islands. It will continue its public health training programs, help meet the needs of diverse communities and improve health outcomes.
Public Health Training Center Welcomes New Leadership
January 2022 - The federally funded Western Region Public Health Training Center serves public health professionals across a large portion of the Western US and Pacific Islands, and the Center recently transitioned to new leadership under Dr. Kelly Reynolds who brings impressive experience and expertise to her role as director.
Competency status and desire for training in core public health domains: an analysis by job level. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.
November 2021 - Although trainings on core public health domains are widely available, and experts concur that competency in multiple core domains (analysis/assessment, leadership, communication, etc) is desirable for public health professionals, many still lack such competency. Employee job level could be a factor, as organizational research indicates that broad skill sets often hold importance mainly for higher-level employees. This study examines whether the association between competency and desire for training in core public health domains depends on job level.
College Celebrates Annual Faculty and Staff Award Winners
January 2021 - The annual awards for Faculty and Staff in the College were presented during the virtual MEZCOPH Faculty and Staff Retreat in December, including the awards for Excellence in Teaching, Excellence in Research, Excellence in Community-Engaged Scholarship and Practice, and the Individual and Team Staff Excellence Awards. The team winner was the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC), who has shown impressive dedication and agility, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud our outstanding award winners!
UArizona Students on the Health Promotion Ambassadors Team Will Support Safe Reentry to Campus
August 2020 - Students in the Health Promotion Ambassadors (HPA) program will help guide their fellow students across campus through the UArizona Reentry Plan and the 3T’s (Test, Trace, Treat) strategy. The Ambassadors will learn about the safety guidelines, the components of the 3T’s strategy, and how all the pieces fit together so they can support students across campus and answer questions during the Reentry process. Additionally, a series of Training Modules for the HPA program will be available on the Western Region Public Health Training Center website.
Podcast Series Features Arizona Pandemic Response Experts
June 2020 - Following on the success of their first season of public health podcasts, "Keeping Up with Public Health," that debuted in 2019, the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH), has launched a second season of podcasts, this time focusing on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Training Video for First Responders
April 2020 - The College of Public Health's faculty has taken the initiative to support first responders. Kelly Reynolds, PhD, chair of the Department of Community, Environment, and Policy, and director of the Environment, Exposure Science, and Risk Assessment Center (ESRAC), worked with doctoral student Amanda Wilson, the Tucson Fire Department, plus Erich Healy and other personnel from the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) to create a training video for firefighters and EMS responders.
June 2019 - Policy is one of the most powerful tools public health professionals have to effect positive health changes at a community level. Master the policy process with Arizona Common Ground (AZCG), as Krista gives a behind the scenes glimpse of the state legislative system to familiarize current and future public health workforce on how health bills can become laws.
Top 10 Free Online Public Health Training Courses
June 2019 - How about some continuing education credits to go with that mint chocolate chip ice cream cone? Online learning fits most summer schedules offering flexibility and convenience. The Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, currently offers 130 free online courses and recorded webinars on Moodle.
M.P.H. Student Wins Competitive Stipend for Practicum
May 2019 - Nafisa Eltahir was awarded a competitive stipend from the Western Region Public Health Training Center for her practicum project. She is one of 30 students in the states of Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, California, Pacific Islands to receive the $3,500 award. Her practicum project will focus on how law enforcement can spend Proposition 64 funds in support of public health goals and avoid traumatizing or further criminalizing communities that were most negatively affected by the War on Drugs.
November 2018 - Over 150 individuals were screened for depression during the World Diabetes Day event held at the College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM) on 16-November-2018 in Pohnpei, FSM. The event was a joint effort between the PIHOA Pacific Islands Public Health Training Centre (PIPHTC) and the Doctors and Dentists for Tomorrow (DDFT) program’s MEDDENT Society.
UA Receives $4M to Improve the US Public Health System
April 2018 - The Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, received a $4 million federal grant to improve the public health system in the United States. The regional training center provides free training and continuing education for the public health workforce in Region 9 of HRSA, which covers Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.
Western Region Public Health Training Center Reaches 43,000 Registrations in 2017
October 2017 - Members of the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) gathered in September at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health in Tucson for their annual executive meeting. The WRPHTC reports 43,151 people registered for courses in FY2017. At the meeting in Tucson, partners discussed ideas for creating new training programs and services to support accreditation efforts by health departments.
September 2017 - The prevalence of asthma in children makes it the most common chronic pediatric condition. Considering most days in a child’s life are spent at school, lacking access to inhalers during asthma emergencies is disconcerting. The Region IX – Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) partnered with University of Arizona researchers to tackle this public health issue in Arizona schools.
August 2017 - All presentations, resources, workshops, and discussion boards from the Virtual Conference, Incorporating Public Health Skills to Improve Quality of Life: Examples From Native American Food Systems, are now archived and available through October 1. Take advantage of this opportunity to build your skills in program planning and evaluation, advocacy, and budgeting. Hosted by the Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC) at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the Virtual Conference tackles disparities in diet-related disease and food access. Public health workers, researchers, and educators present and practice strategies in the areas of assessment, policy development, and assurance that can promote the development of local food systems and improve community health, particularly on tribal lands.
The Development and Evolution of Public Health Essentials in Action: A Training Course on the 3 Core Functions and 10 Essential Public Health Services. Pedagogy in Health Promotion.
May 2017 - The Western Region Public Health Training Center (formally the Arizona Public Health Training Center) conducts competency-based needs assessments and provides workforce development assistance to public health agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region IX. Since its launch in 2012, the Center’s Public Health Essentials in Action Training has evolved. It is now offered in-person and online and has been adapted for rural communities. The evolution of the training, beginning with course planning and development, is described, as well as how factors in the public health workforce influenced the course’s evolution and how the course has been adapted for different platforms and populations.
UA Researcher Testifies on Stock Albuterol Program in Schools Before Arizona State Legislature
February 2017 - Lynn Gerald, professor of public health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, provided expert testimony on a school-based stock inhaler program for students with asthma in Pima County. Dr. Gerald’s team worked with Doug Taren, PhD, associate dean of academic affairs at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and director of the Western Region Public Health Training Center, to create an online free training course for school staff in Tucson. The training is documented and the center maintains a database of those who have taken the course.
Challenging Food Insecurity in the Desert Southwest
September 2016 - Food security initiatives are critical components of public health efforts to achieve health equity. As part of this focus, public health training centers and universities are asking, what role can workforce development play in addressing health equity by transforming food insecurity? The Region IX – Western Region Public Health Training Center (WRPHTC), based in Tucson, AZ, works to address the intersections of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity with health equity and social determinants of health. WRPHTC develops trainings and webinars for public health workers to better understand the knowledge, skills, and tools that can be used to strengthen community food security and reduce health inequities.
HRSA's Transformation of Public Health Training
January - February 2016 - In October 2014, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) engaged the recently funded National Coordinating Center for Public Health Training (NCCPHT) and 10 Regional Public Health Training Centers, one in each HHS region, to quickly develop systems to track Ebola response activities. The Regional PHTCs also provided training for state and local health departments on Ebola preparedness, screening, diagnosis, and prevention; contact tracing; protection of health-care workers; and federal guidelines and information resources. This training also helped prepare the public health workforce to identify and manage other potential infectious disease risks through basic public health practices, such as promoting awareness and mobilizing community support, providing accurate information, ensuring safe and high-quality care, and encouraging healthy behavior.
Parents Fill Public Health Gaps in Maricopa County, Ariz., Schools
October 2015 - In 2012, Maricopa county was awarded a Native American tribal grant through revenue from area casinos, then teamed up with University of Arizona’s School of Public Health to create what is now the Parent Ambassadors program. Parents or guardians who currently volunteer in their child’s school or are interested in volunteering are invited to take a 12-hour, two-day training program. The program teaches parents about the ins and outs of Maricopa County bureaucracy, what public health is and the public health issues facing schools, such as obesity, the importance of hand washing and STDs. But public health employees leave it up to the parents to decide what the most pressing health issues are in their child's school.
April 2015 - It is a new dawn for public health in the United States. As you may know, the public health system is currently undergoing a very rapid change in response to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the epidemiological transition occurring in our Nation. At the same time, the public health workforce is aging and an expected 250,000 positions will need to be replaced by 2020. Recognizing the shared interest of the WRPHTC and the Southwest Telemedicine Resource Center (SWTRC), we have established a partnership to better focus on providing continuing education on nutrition, physical activity and nutrition to the future and existing workforce in health departments, federally qualified health centers and critical access hospitals.
UA Receives $3.6 million HRSA Grant to Improve the Nation’s Public Health System
November 2014 - The Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will establish public health training centers in four states and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. The project expands the reach of the UA Arizona Public Health Training Center (AzPHTC) to provide training to HRSA Region 9 that includes all of Arizona, Nevada, California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. The staff will work with numerous groups in these states to assist with the establishment of their own Public Health Training Center (PHTC).