CASPER Request - Mariposa Co.

Davis, Stephanie I. (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH)

Subject:

Chavez, Gilbert (CDC cdph.ca.gov)
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 6:43 PM
Schnall, Amy (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH); Wolkin, Amy Funk (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH)
Wilken, Jason (CDPH-DEODC-OHB); Laws, Rebecca (CDPH-DEODC-OHB); Smorodinsky,
Svetlana (CDPH-DEODC-OHB); Tafoya, Dana (Mariposa); Sergienko, Eric@Mariposa
County; Kreutzer, Rick (CDPH-DEODC-EHIB); Starr, Mark (CDPH-EXE-DIR); Oliva, Greg
(CDPH-CCDPHP); Crist, Claudia (CDPH-EXEC-DIR)
RE: Request for State Support for CDC CASPER in Mariposa County

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Dear Drs. Wolkin and Schnall:
I am writing to request epidemiologic assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) to assist with conducting a Community
Assessment of Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in Mariposa County, California in
response to the ongoing drought emergency. A CASPER was performed last year in October and this
will allow us and the county a unique opportunity to examine changes in the community and redirect
public health efforts.
We would request technical assistance in performing a CASPER investigation among populations in
Mariposa County affected by the ongoing drought; conduct a descriptive analysis of health effects
associated with the drought; and develop recommendations for improving the response. California
Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Mariposa County Health Department (MCHD) staff will work
with the CDC/NCEH staff on designing a CASPER survey instrument, defining the sampling
methodology, collecting responses, analyzing data, and disseminating study results.
Dr. Rebecca Laws, our Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, will serve as the CDPH point of contact
and will be working with her mentor Dr. Jason Wilken and with Dr. Eric Sergienko, the Mariposa
County Health Officer and Dana Tafoya at MCHD. Dr. Laws can be reached at
Rebecca.Laws@cdph.ca.gov or at (510) 620-3711.
Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to contact me if additional information is needed.
Please pardon autocorrect errors.
Gil F. Chavez, MD, MPH
State Epidemiologist
Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases
California Department of Public Health

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