Northeastern Spotlight

Winter 2018 Volume 13 – Number 3

Training Highlights

Tri-State TB Intensive – Columbus, OH

The Indiana State Department of Health, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Ohio Department of Health partnered with the Global Tuberculosis Institute to offer a Tri-State TB Intensive Workshop in Columbus, Ohio on September 25-27, 2018. This collaborative effort began in 2009 and has continued in different iterations over the years with each state alternating turns to host the training. The goal has been to provide core content that is relevant for a clinical intensive course with some variations in special topics, audiences, and format. This year was the first time that a 3-day training was offered based mainly on local needs and preferences.   

April Justice during her presentation at the conference

Participants had the option of attending the first day as a stand-alone training focused on TB infection, days two and three focused on diagnosis and management of TB disease, or the full 3-day workshop for a comprehensive overview of TB. The course reviewed principles for the diagnosis, treatment and management of TB infection and TB disease as well as special topics such as extrapulmonary TB, TB and diabetes, and TB and alcohol use disorders. Content experts included physicians, nurses, laboratorians, and epidemiologists from the region who work in academic and public health settings and who presented different perspectives based on their background in TB. Interactive case presentations and panel discussions were included to address challenges in the management of TB and demonstrate teaching points. Most notably, a question and answer session related to the use of IGRAs and TSTs for testing generated great discussion based on common issues that the participants encounter in practice. The course concluded with an ask the expert session which was highly rated.   
The 101 course attendees included physicians, public health nurses, epidemiologists, and infection control practitioners from the three states. The majority of the participants chose to attend the full three-day workshop, which was well received. Specific feedback indicated that the training increased knowledge and understanding about TB and also increased attendees’ confidence level in providing care for TB patients. The 2019 training will be hosted in Michigan with the goal of reaching new audiences and continuing to build capacity in the diagnosis and management of TB.  

Submitted by Amy Lewis, MPH, MCHES – Health Educator

Regional Mid-Atlantic TB Update – Hanover, VA

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Maryland Department of Health, DC Department of Health, and Delaware Department of Health and Social Services in conjunction with the Global Tuberculosis Institute (GTBI) collaborated to conduct a regional TB conference in Hanover, VA on November 2, 2018. The goal is to make this an annual occurrence for the mid-Atlantic region and vary the location to ensure each program has a chance to host the training.   

Dr. Scott Heysell presenting on "Managing TB in Immunosuppressed Persons"

The topics were chosen by the planning committee based on the TB education needs in the region. Testing and treatment for TB infection were addressed by Dr. Kelly Russo, Infectious Disease Specialist at Anne Arundel County Health Department, and Dr. Alfred Lardizabal, Executive Director at GTBI, with valuable discussions for clinical practice implications. Special topics such as TB and HIV co-infection as well as TB and diabetes were addressed by Dr. Deborah Benator, Professor of Medicine at George Washington University, and Dr. Scott Heysell, Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Virginia and TB Medical Consultant for VDH. Dr. Heysell also gave a fantastic presentation on managing TB in immunosuppressed persons highlighting multiple factors which play a role in immunosuppression including alcoholism and organ transplant. In additional to the clinical talks, the conference also included an interactive presentation by nurses Sara Bailey and Rachel Kidanne from Northern Virginia on their experience developing TB elimination strategies at the community level. This presentation was a great example of a collaborative public health approach for reach individual patients.                                  
The sixty five attendees included nurses and physicians mainly from the Virginia and Washington, DC program areas. The highlight of the training was the exchange of ideas that took place throughout the day, thanks to a very engaging audience! Future mid-Atlantic regional trainings will include a plan for marketing educational offerings to community providers to increase reach and build awareness about TB among non-traditional audiences.  

Submitted by Arpita Jindani, MSW, MA – Health Educator