greater of whole blood." The ABLES program aims to accomplish this objective by building state capacity to initiate, expand, or improve adult blood lead surveillance programs which can accurately measure trends in adult blood lead levels and which can effectively intervene to prevent lead exposures. The Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR) is a state-based occupational surveillance program for data collection of high-priority conditions including burns, silicosis, work-related asthma, amputations, carpal tunnel syndrome, dermatitis, noise-induced hearing loss, and youth injury. Funding also supports State-selected intervention activities including information dissemination, education, consultation, enforcement, and research. 10 states (CA, FL, KY, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, OR, UT) received funding from CDC in FY 2001. The purpose of the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) is to build State capacity for conducting traumatic occupational fatality surveillance, investigation and intervention activities. The objectives of this State-based program are to identify work environments that place workers at a high risk for fatal injury; identify the risk factors for these fatal injuries; and develop, disseminate and evaluate prevention strategies. The ultimate goal of the FACE program is to reduce the national burden for traumatic occupational fatalities through the development of effective prevention measures at the State and national level. 16 states (AK, CA, IA, KY, MA, MN, MO, NE, NJ, OH, OK, TX, WA, WI, WV) received funding from CDC in FY 2001. The Core State-Based Surveillance Model Programs are state-based occupational health surveillance programs designed to develop and validate methods for surveillance of multiple occupational conditions while integrating occupational health into mainstream public health practice and increasing prevention activities. Work-related conditions being surveilled include lung diseases, pesticide-related illnesses, heavy metal exposures, musculoskeletal injuries, and nonfatal injuries. These projects are intended to be models for implementation in surveillance programs of other states. 6 states (CA, MA, MI, MN, NY, WA) received funding from CDC in FY 2001. The New or Enhanced Models for State-Based Occupational Surveillance projects are state-based occupational health surveillance programs designed to develop new or enhanced models for condition-specific surveillance and intervention for targeted occupational injuries, illnesses, or hazards. Currently targeted occupational endpoints include injuries and illnesses in the seafood processing industry, carpal tunnel syndrome, pesticide-related illnesses, youth injuries, and dermatitis. These projects are intended to be models for implementation in surveillance programs of other states. 6 states (AK, CA, MA, OR, WA, WI) received funding from CDC in FY 2001. The Alaska Trauma Registry (ATR) is a state-wide surveillance system of injuries for which the patient has been hospitalized. All 24 hospitals in Alaska report to the Alaska Trauma Registry, making it the only comprehensive state trauma registry in the Nation. The ATR is a partnership project maintained by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. CDC provides funds to Alaska for this program. The Occupational Illness, Injury, and Hazard Surveillance in Rhode Island supports a system for conducting surveillance and associated activities to evaluate and reduce occupational injuries, illness, or hazards in Rhode Island through the Occupational and Environmental Health Center of Rhode Island. CDC provides funds to Rhode Island for this program. Traumatic Brain Injury. CDC is funding a number of state surveillance activities related to traumatic brain injury (TBI). These activities are designed to determine the prevalence of TBI, as well as to develop state registries of persons who have suffered mild to moderate TBIs. States currently being funded for this purposes are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Child Maltreatment: CDC is funding Rhode Island, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri, and California to advance state and national efforts to test methodologies for developing practical child maltreatment surveillance. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). The NVDRS is a statebased system that will connect data from vital registrars, coroners, medical examiners, police, and crime labs on all of the circumstances around violent deaths. Through CDC cooperative agreements, funding for up to five state health departments to pilot the implementation of NVDRS will be awarded by September 2002. Each state will determine how to gather and link information from death certificates and reports by coroners, medical examiners, police, and crime labs, through electronic reporting, fax reporting, or other means. Each state will determine how to gather and link information from death certificates and reports by coroners, medical examiners, police, and crime labs, through electronic reporting, fax reporting, or other means. States will then summarize and analyze these data to better inform the development of violence prevention programs. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). CDC is funding five states: Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon to develop on-going IPV surveillance systems in order to determine the prevalence of IPV-related injuries and help identify risk factors in those states. Core state injury surveillance programs. Through cooperative agreements, CDC is providing core funding to Colorado, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Minnesota for establishing advanced injury surveillance systems as part of the states' Environmental Health Tracking Program-funding will be made available for up to 15 state and/or local pilot projects to develop strategies and mechanisms for building statewide or regional systems that will provide the foundation and architecture for linking, integrating and displaying health and environmental data. Funding will also be provided to several Schools of Public Health/Centers of Excellence to coordinate and translate research needs/activities between academia and the pilot projects/state grantees. The goal of environmental health tracking is to develop a surveillance network, which can integrate data on environmental exposure with data on the occurrences of diseases that have possible links to the environment. This system will allow on-going monitoring and dissemination of information on levels of environmental contaminants, trends in disease occurrences, facilitate research on possible linkages, and measure the impact of regulatory and prevention strategies. PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE Mr. Regula: What does CDC do to address the gaps and shortages in the public health workforce? Dr. Fleming: CDC has a long history of fellowships, internships and career development programs to address priority needs (e.g., informatics, prevention effectiveness, preventive medicine, behavioral scientists, etc). The Epidemic Intelligence Service and the Public Health Prevention Specialist program are expanding to prepare critically needed epidemiologists and public health managers. The CDC-funded Centers for Public Health Preparedness provide practice-focused, competency-based training to state/local agency partners. This facilitates cross training and career development and promotes retention. The TransAssociation Partnership project linking Schools of Public Health with minority programs will develop a cadre of minority prevention researchers and professionals to serve local and national needs. In addition, CDC is looking at ways in which its existing fellowship programs can provide direct assistance to state/local public health agencies in developing and implementing their bioterrorism preparedness plans. Since 1993 CDC has worked to understand the unique training needs of the public health workforce. This led to the ongoing development of a national distance learning infrastructure of people, technology and funding. Due to the dispersed nature of learners needing training and varied resources available for professional development, the CDC developed and maintains the Public Health Training Network (PHTN). The PHTN is a partnership of public and private organizations dedicated to bringing high quality adult learning opportunities to the learner anywhere at anytime. Currently, CDC increases access to up to date information and courses about a variety of public health topics through the PHTN web site. There, individuals can search a calendar of upcoming events, learn about distance learning, and find links to more information at partner websites. Individuals may also register, evaluate and receive continuing education credit for training and professional development programs through the CDC On-line registration system. The CDC funded National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) is a unique needs-based laboratory training delivery system. The goal of the NLTN is to improve public health and environmental laboratory practices and performance through training. The NLTN delivers cost-effective training; rapidly transfers new testing technologies; and monitors laboratory training activities. Its focus is national, serving a large audience of laboratorians who practice at the state and local level. The NLTN also disseminates emergency information and testing guidelines for example, for laboratory identification of E. coli, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and bioterrorism preparedness. CENTERS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS Mr. Regula: Where are the three newly established Centers for Public Health Preparedness located? Dr. Fleming: Through its umbrella cooperative agreement with the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), CDC established a program to facilitate the development of an integrated national system of Centers for Public Health Preparedness focused on improving the capacity of the front line public health worker to respond to current, new and emerging health threats, including bioterrorism. ASPH solicited responses from its membership. Sixteen applications were received from 15 Schools of Public Health. The applications were objectively reviewed; fifteen were found to be technically acceptable and approved for funding. In the first year of the program four awards averaging $400,000 were made (Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Columbia Univ., Univ. of Illinois-Chicago, Univ. of Washington) and later three additional awards of $162,000 were made to initiate planning (Univ. of Iowa, South Florida, St. Louis Univ). In February 2002, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced $20 million in fiscal year 2002 funding for the Centers for Public Health Preparedness program. The approved centers will receive $1 million each and the remaining 16 Schools of Public Health will compete for 3 new center grants. The remaining 16 Schools of Public Health are: Boston University School of Public Health Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Ohio State University School of Public Health San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health University of Massachusetts School of Public Health and Health Sciences University of South Carolina The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health Yale University School of Public Health University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Public Health University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health The Secretary stated that: "The funding of these centers comes at a crucial period as the nation moves forward to improve its public health infrastructure to respond swiftly and effectively to threats and emergencies." Centers to be funded in 2002 under the HHS bioterrorism initiative are: 2002. Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, MA Heartland Center for Public Health Preparedness at Saint Louis University Illinois Public Health Preparedness Center at the University of Illinois at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of North Northwest Center for Public Health Preparedness at the University of Washington, School of Public Health and Community State University of New York at Albany, School of Public Health, Albany, NY University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health, Los Angeles, University of Iowa, School of Public Health University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN Mr. Regula: How much funding does each Center receive? Dr. Fleming: Approved Centers are expected to receive $1 million each in FY Mr. Regula: What is the purpose of the Collaborating Center for Genetic |