Local Conference Opportunity: NACCHO 360 Conference
July 23-26, 2024
Annually, NACCHO360 is the largest convening of local health department leaders and public health professionals in the United States, offering the opportunity to learn, network, and share experiences and best practices across local health departments. In 2024, the public health community will gather in Detroit, Michigan, July 23-26, to explore our conference theme, "Heard it Through the Grapevine: Public Health Partnerships, Collaboration, and Innovation.”  

Attendees, both on-site at the Huntington Place Convention Center and watching via livestream, will learn how to adopt effective practices, engage with federal and state partners, and gain insights from public health experts.

The agenda is not out just yet, but of course registration is open. They have posted some information about the tracks they will be hosting Conference Tracks - NACCHO 360.  


​Special Pathogens Response Survey
Due January 31, 2024
The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) and the Regional Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Centers (RESPTCs) are conducting a needs assessment survey related to special pathogen preparedness to gather insights from healthcare facilities, public health partners and EMS organizations.  
Participation and response to this survey will play a pivotal role in shaping the development of workplans and prioritizing future projects for NETEC and the RESPTCs related to special pathogen preparedness.

The insights gathered from this survey will be instrumental in:

• Identifying areas for improvement in current practices
• Informing the development of targeted training programs
• Enhancing coordination and communication among healthcare, public health, and EMS stakeholders

To contribute to this important initiative, please click on the survey link provided below. Responses will remain confidential, and the aggregated data will be used for analysis, program improvement and advancing the state of preparedness in the U.S.

The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete, if you are unable to complete the survey in one sitting, you can reenter and finish at a later time.

Please complete the survey by January 31, 2024.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Amy Encinger at [email protected].
To complete the survey

Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Web-Based Training
ASPR has developed the HHS/ ASPR Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Web-Based Training to help public health officials, emergency managers, and social/human service providers learn how to address Access and Functional Needs (AFN) in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. This is great class to take yourself and to share with HCC partners.

PDF fact sheet for more information
To take the course

The Critical Connection: Public Health Infrastructure and Cybersecurity
January 10, 2024
On Wednesday, January 10, 2024 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. a webinar will be held with speakers highlighting forward-thinking strategies designed to empower participants to prepare for and navigate future cybersecurity challenges. Please share this opportunity with your HCCs. 
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Connection Information

INSPIRE Readiness Website Launch: Strengthening Public Health Preparedness
January 16, 2024
Join the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) for the launch of the INSPIRE: Readiness website and explore how it can help meet today's public health challenges. This webinar is scheduled for January 16, 2024 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EST.

This innovative new platform features inspiring stories, practical resources, and proven strategies for addressing persistent issues across four key areas: workforce, training and resources, equity, and data systems and management.

For more information, including connection information


2024 Hometown Health Hero Awards – Nominations Open
​January 31, 2024
The Michigan Public Health Week Partnership invites you to nominate someone for the Hometown Health Hero award. The award is presented every year to individuals and/or organizations that have made significant and measurable contributions to preserve and/or improve the health of their community.

The 2024 award event marks the 20th anniversary of these awards and the Partnership that sponsors them. Over the last twenty years, community leaders, organizations, and individuals have been doing great things to improve the health of their communities and to increase equity in health. The Partnership wants to continue to recognize those accomplishments, but we need your help. Awardees are selected solely from nominations received. The only way for someone to receive this award is to be nominated.

Submit a completed nomination form to the Partnership by email (or fax to 517-335-8392) no later than 5:00 pm, January 31. Awardees are selected solely from nominations received by the deadline.

Awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 10 at 11:30 a.m. in the Atrium of Heritage Hall in the State Capitol Building. The event is open to the public. 
For more information & nomination form
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​CISA Releases Key Risk and Vulnerability Findings for Healthcare and Public Health Sector
In January 2023, CISA conducted a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) at the request of a Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector  organization to identify vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. An RVA is a two-week penetration test of an entire organization, with one week spent on external testing and one week spent assessing the internal network. As part of the RVA, the CISA assessment team conducted web application, phishing, penetration, database, and wireless assessments. The assessed organization was a large organization deploying on-premises software. During the one-week external assessment, the assessment team did not identify any significant or exploitable conditions in externally available systems that may allow a malicious actor to easily obtain initial access to the organization’s network. Furthermore, the assessment team was unable to gain initial access to the assessed organization through phishing. However, during internal penetration testing, the team exploited misconfigurations, weak passwords, and other issues through multiple attack paths to compromise the organization’s domain. In coordination with the assessed organization, CISA is releasing this Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) detailing the RVA team’s activities and key findings to provide network defenders and software manufacturers recommendations for improving their organizations’ and customers’ cyber posture, which reduces the impact of follow-on activity after initial access. CISA encourages the HPH sector and other critical infrastructure organizations deploying on-premises software, as well as software manufacturers, to apply the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this CSA to harden networks against malicious activity and to reduce the likelihood of domain compromise. Learn more on cisa.gov.