Graduate Student Internship Program

2009 Catalog of Internship Opportunities

Infant Mortality Reduction

Arkansas Department of Health, Central Region Office, Little Rock, AR
Skill Area: Needs Assessment

Agency Information

The Central Region Office is responsible for administration and management of the 12 local health Departments which serve a seven-county area of Central Arkansas. Infant mortality has been identified as a major program focus of the State and the Region in the 2009-2011 biennium. Central Region must conduct a needs assessment to determine readiness for instituting an infant mortality reduction plan. The Perinatal Periods of Risk approach to infant mortality reduction is a comprehensive approach that we would like to assess readiness for instituting in our most highly populated county, Pulaski County and in our county with the highest Infant Mortality rate in the Central Region, Grant County.

Purpose, goals, and objectives of internship

This purpose of this internship is to promote awareness of the Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) approach to Fetal-Infant Mortality (IM) in Pulaski and Grant Counties.

Goals and objectives include: (1) Analyze summative infant mortality and morbidity data for Pulaski and Grant counties: Gather infant mortality (IM) data; assess IM data; and share IM data with providers, elected officials and community members. (2) Share findings with providers, elected officials and community members and plan next steps for instituting PPOR in local communities: Share data in community forums, newsletters and newspapers; plan next steps for implementation of PPOR approach in the community.

Analytic tasks and activities

This project will involve retrieval and analysis of data and reporting data to health professionals as well as lay persons and organizations.

Data or analytic skills required

This internship requires the ability to utilize Geographic Information Systems, the ability to work with multi-skilled groups, good to excellent familiarity with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Publisher and the ability to communicate well verbally as well as in writing.

Supervisors

Primary: Zenobia Harris, MPH, Central Region Patient Care Manager

Data analysis and utilization assistance and support: Tom Dixon, Central Region Quality Improvement Manager

County-level support: local County Health Unit Administrators/Health Improvement Project staff

Internship begins

The internship can begin June 1, 2009

Housing

The Regional Office is located on a main thoroughfare, about 10 blocks from student dorms and apartments operated by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Transportation

The city bus route provides transportation access to the regional office and the main health department clinic in Little Rock. Transportation will be arranged to target counties by the project supervisors.

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