Department of Civil Service

Description:

The primary goal of the Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention Program (PHBPP) is to identify all pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis b and prevent perinatal transmission of the virus. The NYS PHBPP was implemented in 1988 in the fifty-seven counties outside of New York City and is administered by the NYSDOH Bureau of Immunization under the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Cooperative Agreement. NY Public Health Law Section 2500-e requires universal screening for hepatitis b surface antigen during every pregnancy; reporting a positive test result to the local county health department; prominently recording the result in the pregnant woman's and newborn child's medical record; and if the mother tests positive or status is unknown for hepatitis surface b antigen, offering of immunoprophylaxis and follow up vaccine for the newborn consistent with CDC guidance and NYS DOH regulations.

The intern will utilize health policy and management and social behavior and community health competencies for the development of a policy to enroll birth hospitals annually in the PHBPP. Prior to starting the project, the student will describe the role of social and community factors that affect the PHBPP program goals. The PHBPP birth hospital policy will be developed based on CDC recommendations and NYS public Health law section 2500-e to provide public health and health services. The PHBPP birth hospital policy will require an attestation from each birth hospital that the hospital will maintain policies and standing orders that are consistent with CDC recommendation and NYS public health law 2500-e for the management of HBsAg+ women and their newborn during the perinatal period.

The intern will identify critical stakeholders (birthing hospitals, local county health department PHBPP staff) for the planning and implementation of the PHBPP birth hospital policy. The project will also require leadership skills and the ability to coordinate with the identified stakeholders as well as the NYSDOH Vaccine for Children program and the NYSIIS program.

The development of the PHBPP birth hospital policy will include policies and standing orders consistent with CDC recommendation and NYS public health law for identification of HBsAg + women; case coordination with local county health departments; standing orders for post exposure prophylaxis of HBsAg+ women and women with unknown status; and the universal hepatitis b vaccine birth dose.

Skills:

research

communication (verbal & email)

writiing skills

Internship Areas: Clinical Services, Health Services, Public Policy