Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States, is home to 10 million people and 88 municipalities. It is larger than 41 of the 50 states. Comprising urban centers, extensive suburbs, and low-income, rural, and agricultural communities, it poses complex public health challenges that are diverse in scope and unmatched in scale. In Public Health Practice: What Works, the leaders of LA County's Department of Public Health compile the lessons and best practices of working in a complex and evolving public health setting. Through stories of success (and challenges) from practice, this book offers a practical guide to effective health policy and program interventions for individuals, teams, practitioners, and departments on any scale. All facets of public health practice are illustrated through case-specific chapters, including coverage of core capacities, health promotion and protection, emergency response, and service delivery. Techniques and themes addressed here include: · cross-cutting interventions and intersectoral actions to improve population health · environmental problems and influences on health outcomes · policy as a public health tool · targeted and tailored programs and services, policies, and partnerships Employing a casebook method to provide real-life teaching tools for practitioners and students, Public Health Practice: What Works is a new benchmark for practical, contemporary public health practice.

Table of Contents:
Foreword ; 1. Introduction & History of Public Health in Los Angeles County ; J. Fielding, J. Freedman, S. Caldwell ; Core Capacities ; 2. Measuring Population Health: The Los Angeles County Health Survey ; S. Baldwin, A. Lightstone ; 3. Strategic Planning: Visioning the New Public Health Agency ; W. Schiffer, G. Huang-Richman, J. Bobrowsky, M. Hatch ; 4. Programs and Policies that Work: How Evidence Can Drive Action ; S. Teutsch ; 5. From Direct Service to Community Orientation: Transformation of Nursing Practice ; D. Caley, D. Davenport ; 6. Assuring Competence: Credentialing and Privileging of Physicians ; J. Gunzenhauser, K. Smith ; 7. Performance Improvement: Using Accountability and Rapid-Cycle Techniques to Improve Services ; D. Jacobson, D. Lotstein ; 8. The Medium and the Message: Strategies for Effective Communication ; R. Rodriguez, S. Kissell ; 9. Understanding Birth Outcomes and Adverse Birth Events: LAMB and LA HOPE ; M. Chao, G. Donatoni, C. Higgins, M. Eldahaby, C. Harding ; Health Promotion ; 10. Underlying Determinants of Health: Putting Local Data to Work ; M. Shih ; 11. Tackling Toxic Food Environments: A Response to the Obesity Epidemic ; P. Simon, S. Bogert ; 12. Enticing People Out of Their Cars: Promoting Active Living ; J. Armbruster, G. Haberman, L. Franco, M. Ocanas ; 13. From Health Education to Health Policy: A Local Paradigm Shift in Tobacco Control ; M. Weber, L. Aragon ; 14. Reaching Underserved Populations: Influenza Vaccination in the African American Community ; M. Parra, J. Heinzerling, S. Caldwell, K. Harrison ; 15. The Asthma Coalition: Effective Prevention and Control through Collaboration ; R. Gilchick, J. Scully, C. Harding ; Health Protection ; 16. 101 Deadly Days: Listeria Monocytogenes Associated with Mexican Style Cheese ; L. Mascola, B. Werner ; 17. Infection Control: Public Health Outreach to Hospitals ; D. Dassey, D. Terashita, S. Sakamoto ; 18. Reducing Zoonoses: Controlling Animal Importation ; K. Ehnert, B. Kim-Farley ; 19. Safe Food Facilities: Reestablishing Public Confidence Through Letter Grades ; H. Dela Cruz, T. Powell, J. Fielding ; 20. Food Product Recalls: Effective Local Response ; H. Dela Cruz, T. Powell ; 21. Sewage Discharge Response: Reforms in Reporting and Public Notification ; B. Franklin, K. Murray ; 22. Contaminated Fish: Protecting Communities Through Community Education and Reducing Availability ; M. Santos, J. Lewis, J. Scully ; Emergency Response ; 23. Emergency Management: Building an Effective Structure for Local Public Health ; M. Contreras, B. Bristow, A. Plough, K. Harrison ; 24. Employees as First Responders: A Framework for Emergency Readiness ; M. Bosshard, B. Bristow, N. Barakat, E. Hinojos ; 25. Responding to Potential Emergencies: The Threat Assessment Unit ; B. Bristow, D. Diamond, M. Kim, A. Plough ; 26. Radiation Risk: Development of a Multi-Agency Radiation Response Plan ; K. Kaufman ; 27. Dispensing Emergency Medications and Supplies: Points of Dispensing Models ; C. Knox, D. Davenport ; 28. Real Time Information in Emergencies: Automating Medication Data Collection ; S. Khan, D. Bagwell ; Service Delivery ; 29. Reducing Drug Use Among Non-violent Offenders: The Drug Court Program ; J. Viernes, A. Long ; 30. Preventing Opiate Overdose Deaths: Legal Challenges and Effectiveness of Prevention Education and Narcan Distribution ; E. Shultz ; 31. Increasing Accountability Among Substance Abuse Treatment Providers: Development of a Performance Measurement System ; D. Crevecoeur, R. Gonzales, R. Rawson, J. Fielding, J. Viernes ; 32. Preconception Health: A Life Course Perspective for Maternal and Child Health ; C. Harding, G. Donatoni, M. Chao, J. Smart, D. Ramos ; 33. Narrowing the Infant Mortality Gap: Data Tools and Strategies for Improved Birth Outcomes ; M. Chao, G. Donatoni, A. Hopson, D. Davenport, C. Harding ; 34. Assuring Medical Coverage: An Effective Outreach Initiative for Children and Families ; W. Schiffer, S. Bostwick, C. Higgins, C. Harding ; 35. Partnering with Families: A New Service Delivery Model for Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy ; W. Ford, D. Ruge, N. Cappel, T. O'Hern, S. Roth ; 36. Reducing Cases of HIV: Implementation of Post Exposure Prophylaxis ; J. Sayles, M. Perez, G. Garcia, R. Landovitz ; 37. STDs/HIV in the Adult Film Industry: Workplace Practices and the Need for Regulation ; J. Steinberg, R. Butler, M. McGrath, P. Kerndt