Prevention Research Centers and COVID-19: Models of a Community-Engaged Response to a Public Health Emergency

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Creator
  • Busse, K.R.
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
  • Lemon, S.C.
    • Other Affiliation: University of Massachusetts Medical School
  • Comerford, B.P.
    • Other Affiliation: Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center
  • Islam, N.S.
    • Other Affiliation: New York University Grossman School of Medicine
  • Ulin, B.F.
    • Other Affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Eriksen, M.P.
    • Other Affiliation: Georgia State University School of Public Health
  • Ammerman, A.S.
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
Abstract
  • For more than 30 years, the network of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)–funded Prevention Research Centers (PRCs) has worked with local communities and partners to implement and evaluate public health interventions and policies for the prevention of disease and promotion of health. The COVID-19 pandemic tested the PRC network’s ability to rapidly respond to multiple, simultaneous public health crises. On April 28, 2020, to assess the network’s engagement with activities undertaken in response to the early phase of the pandemic, PRC network leadership distributed an online survey to the directors of 34 currently or formerly funded PRCs, asking them to report their PRCs’ engagement with predetermined activities across 9 topical areas and provide case studies exemplifying that engagement. We received responses from 24 PRCs, all of which reported engagement with at least 1 of the 9 topical areas (mean, 5). The topical areas with which the greatest number of PRCs reported engagement were support of frontline agencies (21 of 24, 88%) and support of activities related to health care (21 of 24, 88%). The mean number of activities with which PRCs reported engagement was 11. The PRCs provided more than 90 case studies exemplifying their work. The results of the survey indicated that the PRCs mobilized their personnel and resources to support the COVID-19 response in less than 6 weeks. We posit that the speed of this response was due, in part, to the broad and diverse expertise of PRC personnel and long-standing partnerships between PRCs and the communities in which they work.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Journal title
  • Public Health Reports
Language
  • English
ISSN
  • 0033-3549
Publisher
  • SAGE Publications Ltd

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details 00333549211059491.pdf 2022-03-02 Public Download