State and Local Health Departments

Form Approved

OMB No. 0990-xxxx

Exp. Date XX/XX/20XX

Interview guide and phone script – Local health department

Hello, this is _______________ with the Battelle Center for Analytics and Public Health.

Battelle has been retained by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct an assessment of local community-level implementation of the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (Action Plan). The Action Plan provides a comprehensive strategy for addressing viral hepatitis A and B. The assessment is intended to help better understand local community-level implementation of the Action Plan and any barriers that might be occurring. If you agree to participate in the interview, we will ask you a series of questions related to the viral hepatitis activities that are occurring in your jurisdiction. This interview will take about 30 minutes of your time.

Your participation is completely voluntary. You can decide whether or not to participate. If you do agree to participate, you may stop at any time. You may also chose to not answer any questions.

Should you choose to participate, your answers will be maintained in a secure manner and you will not be identified by name or description in any reports.

Do you have any questions for me?

Would you be willing to participate in the interview?

We would also like to audio tape the interview for transcribing purposes only. Once the interviews have been transcribed, the tapes will be erased.

Would you be willing to have the interview audio taped?

Interview Questions

1. Are you familiar with the Action Plan for the Prevention, Care and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis (Action Plan)

• If so, what do you know about the Action Plan?

• What do you think about the Action Plan?

2. If you are not familiar with the Action Plan, where do you get updated information about viral hepatitis? Are there other plans, strategies, or policy-setting documents or organizations you rely on for information and support for viral hepatitis?

3. Can you describe all the viral hepatitis activities that are being conducted in your jurisdiction? Please include activities that the state/federal government funds and those funded/supported by private organizations/groups.

• How are these activities related to the National Action Plan?

4. What preventive services are in place in your jurisdiction? How are these services being monitored?

5. What is being done or has been done to increase availability of and access to hepatitis B and C screening and testing?

6. What is being done or has been done to increase availability and utilization of hepatitis A and B vaccines?

• Are vaccines available for low or no cost to local health departments of community organizations? How are they distributed?

• What challenges exist to widespread vaccination?\

7. What secondary prevention activities are occurring in your jurisdiction?

   1. Identification of infected individuals?

8. What is being done to link infected persons to care and treatment in your jurisdiction?

• What resources are you receiving from the DOH regarding this?

• What are other resources do you have?

• What resources are specifically in place for the uninsured?

• Is there a case management or navigator system in place?

• Are best practices available?

• Have you developed lists or databases?

• How are referrals made?

9. How are viral hepatitis prevention and care services integrated with substance abuse treatment programs in your jurisdiction?

• What specific services are in place to provide care or services for IDUs?

• What needle exchange programs exist, if any?

• What about other substance abuse programs?

10. Can you describe how viral hepatitis activities are being integrated with HIV prevention services in your jurisdiction?

11. Can you describe any viral hepatitis activities that you would like to implement but that you are unable to?

• What might be preventing you from implementing these activities?

• What could help facilitate these activities?

• Do you have plans to implement any of these activities in the future?

12. Can you describe how you work with other organizations or agencies?

13. Are you involved with a local viral hepatitis task force or planning committee? If so, what kind of activities do you engage in?

14. Has your organization developed any awareness or educational activities around hepatitis B? Hepatitis C?

• What are these activities?

• Can you describe what has been implemented in regards to awareness or education activities?

15. Are you aware of any national or state level campaigns that have been conducted to raise awareness around viral hepatitis?

• Can you describe what you know about these campaigns?

• Do you think they were effective?’

• How could they be improved?

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-xxxx . The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 37minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201, Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer