Hans D. Schmalzried

Succession planning for local health department top executives: reducing risk to communities.

This study assessed the degree to which local health departments (LHDs) are preparing to replace retiring top executives. Questionnaires were sent to all 134 local health departments in Ohio. It is typical of many states in terms of the organization of LHDs. Ninety-two LHD top executives responded. The questionnaire addressed aspects of departmental succession planning and demographic parameters of their departments. Approximately half (51.7%) of responding LHD top executives rated having succession plans as being important. Overall, local boards of health are not very concerned about actually having a succession plan. One in four (27.6%) local health departments reported that they have succession plans. Half of those were grooming a successor. Succession planning is not a high priority among the majority of LHDs, despite the fact that 43.7% of top executives reported planning to leave their current position within six years. Experienced and continuous LHD leadership is important for strong responses to public health crises like major disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Having a succession plan in place that identifies how leadership voids are filled can help minimize risks to populations in an emergency.

A Study of Drug-Related Police Corruption Arrests

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to provide empirical data on cases of drug‐related police corruption. It identifies and describes incidents in which police officers were arrested for criminal offenses associated with drug‐related corruption.Design/methodology/approach – The study is a quantitative content analysis of news articles identified through the Google News search engine using 48 automated Google Alerts queries. Statistical analyses include classification trees to examine causal pathways between drugs and corruption.Findings – Data were analyzed on 221 drug‐related arrest cases of officers employed by police agencies throughout the USA. Findings show that drug‐related corruption involves a wide range of criminal offenses, and that cocaine is the most prevalent drug. Older officers and those employed by large agencies are less likely than others to lose their jobs after a drug‐related arrest.Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by the quality of the available content in ea...

A Model Program to Reduce Patient Failure to Keep Scheduled Medical Appointments

Community health center clinics that rely on scheduled appointments lose revenue and time when patients do not keep their appointments. Various approaches have been used to improve the rate of patient appointments kept. This article provides a model intervention program developed by a quality improvement committee at a Northwest Ohio community health center that is credited with significantly reducing rates of patient failure to keep scheduled medical and dental clinic appointments. The approach of this intervention program is different from others in that it was primarily designed to help patients learn how to become part of the solution to the problem. Community health center staff accomplishes this through engaging patients in a respectful and courteous manner and helping them understand the importance of their involvement in maintaining an efficient scheduling process to benefit all patients. Data collected from outpatient appointment records before and after implementation of the program indicate that missed appointments dropped to less than half the pre-intervention rate.

Importance of uniformity in local emergency management agency web sites

This study focused on the uniformity of Web sites operated by local emergency management agencies (EMAs) as they pertain to the availability of relevant emergency preparedness and response information. Of the 3,128 counties (or county equivalents) in the United States, we found Internet homepages for 1,612 local EMAs (51.5%). We reviewed each homepage to document the presence (or absence) of nine elements deemed to be essential for effective communications during emergency or disaster situations. Local EMA Web site homepages had a mean of 4.5 (± 1.5) elements. Among the findings, this review revealed that about four out of five (82.3%) of the local EMAs included the agency phone number, more than half (52.0%) provided links to other agencies with emergency preparedness information, and about two in five (38.3%) listed an agency email address. A few more than one in five (21.1%) of the local EMA homepages reviewed allowed visitors to sign up for automatic alerts or notifications. The nine communication elements identified in our study provide a minimal standard for content. We suggest that these results be used as a starting point in developing a uniform template containing the nine homepage elements. Such a template compliments National Incident Management System (NIMS) protocols and can provide a recognizable source of consistent and reliable information for people during emergency or disaster incidents.

Communications between local health departments and the public during emergencies: the importance of standardized web sites.

Of the 2790 local health departments (LHDs) in the United States, Internet homepages were located for 1986. We reviewed each homepage to document the presence of 9 elements deemed to be critical for effective communications during emergency or disaster situations. LHD Web site homepages had a mean of 4.1 (±1.4) elements. Among the findings, this review revealed that 4 of 5 (80.5%) of the LHDs included the agency phone number, half (49.4%) provided links to emergency information, and about 1 in 5 (19.6%) listed an agency e-mail address. Fewer than 1 in 20 (4.3%) of the LHD homepages reviewed allowed visitors to sign up for automatic alerts or notifications. We suggest that these results be used as a starting point in developing a standardized template containing the 9 homepage elements. Such a template complements National Incident Management System protocols and can provide a recognizable source of consistent and reliable information for people during a public health emergency or disaster.

Assessing sheriff's office emergency and disaster website communications

Sheriff’s offices are an integral component of the public health emergency preparedness and response system in the USA. During a public health emergency or disaster, sheriff’s offices need to communicate with people affected by the event. Sheriff’s office websites are logical sources for information about disaster preparedness and response efforts. No prior research evaluates emergency preparedness and response resources available through sheriff’s office websites. The current research is a national study of sheriff’s office websites to assess the availability of information relating to emergency preparedness and response. A content analysis of 2590 sheriff’s office website homepages was conducted to determine the presence or absence of nine communications elements important to people seeking information during an emergency or disaster. We found that 71.9% of sheriff’s office website homepages include links to agency services and programs, but only 6.5% provide links to emergency preparedness information. The findings of the study are useful to assess emergency preparedness and the amount of response information available, as well as to identify opportunities to improve sheriff’s office website homepages.