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BACKGROUND: The Epidemiology Program at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) at the University of Arizona collaborates with health departments around the state to provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. The Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response (SAFER) team began in 2005 and has been sustained through joint academia/health department support. After a decade of successful operation, an economic analysis of the program has never been conducted. Sustainability and replication of this innovative approach to field epidemiology for students is highly dependent upon its recognized value. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative analyses are vital.
METHODS: Specific beneficiary perspectives are the Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and overall societal good. Program data was used to investigate cost and benefit comparisons both quantitatively and qualitatively. A database of student hours, outbreak collaborations, budget allocations, call logs, and online survey software statistics provided data to calculate response rates, student hours, and average call times. These values were then compared to health department data including investigator salaries and benefits, training costs, and hours committed to similar surveillance activities. CDC standards and benchmarks were used to quantify societal benefits of outbreak and surveillance investigations.
RESULTS: The SAFER program has a lasting and valuable impact for health departments, MEZCOPH’s graduate students, and overall societal good. Since mid-2011, SAFER students have contributed 5,480 hours to enteric surveillance activities alone. Since 2005, SAFER has assisted on 42 outbreaks in Maricopa County, in addition to others around the state. SAFER’s response rate of 53% approaches that of health departments for routine surveillance. Former students of the SAFER course report substantial benefits from the experience, and many were able to make important contacts that led to employment.
CONCLUSIONS: A cost-savings of SAFER to the MCDPH reveals both an increase in capacity in the short run of outbreak investigations, and a long-term investment of human resources and skills for future public health employees. Epidemiology students not only receive valuable field experience from SAFER, they also make important contacts that lead to internships and employment. Colleges of public health benefit from increased rates of post-graduate employment and make greater collaborations with local health departments. Student outbreak response teams improve and expand surveillance and response to local outbreaks as students add more resources and prevent further spread of communicable disease.