The GPHS podcast

Welcome to the GPHS podcast Season 2 Episode 6. Today we Ask A Consultant, Thomas Hill, our guest and expert, about what it takes to be a high-performance public health centric team and what are some tips on achieving a positive public health culture. A seasoned specialist in cruise line public health, Thomas touches on characteristics of a high performing team using a holistic approach. Join us as we discuss the power of public health to shape your cruise experience, the value of foundational learning from a public health perspective, and more. Happy listening!

Feather In Your Cap - Public Health issues are like birds.

What can you expect from Episode 5 of the GPHS podcast Season 2: On this episode of the GPHS podcast you’ll get to hear from three of our experts: George Vaughn, Thomas Hill, and Dumitru Zamfir.

The episode explores common public health concerns, preventive measures you can take while onboard, as well as food safety and public health culture, and lastly, building public health habits among crew within the shipboard environment.

Happy Listening!

In Episode 4 of the GPHS podcast Season 2, we explore the early history of the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), quarantining and infection control, cruise line outbreak response to Norovirus and SARS-CoV-2, training and seminars, the contagion circle and 5 pillars of public health, as well as the moral weight of public health and social media.

Our hosts, Dan Harper and Catherine Hirschenfang, give us a clear understanding of the history of public health in the cruise line industry, how the safety measures and requirements to keep crew members and passengers safe came to be, the importance of training and seminars, as well as social and moral obligations to keep everyone safe when cruising.

Dan and Catherine deliver insight and nuance industry-specific guidance on public health and cruising as the challenges with the pandemic continue to change day-to-day.

Their shared expertise on this important cruise line public health leadership topic will benefit all who have questions on public health and COVID-19 safeguards for safe cruising. Happy listening!

In Episode 3 of the GPHS podcast Season 2, we explore the effects of COVID-19 and the CDC’s Framework for the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) on cruising and the cruise industry.

Our hosts, George Vaughanand Ben Hirschenfang, give us an understanding of the four phases of the CDC’s Framework; the challenges in implementation now that sailing has restarted; and the impact on operations that come from COVID-19 variants and having vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers onboard. They also share with us the importance of local port agreements required by the CDC and the lessons learned so far for the cruise industry.

George and Ben deliver insight and nuance industry-specific guidance on the CDC’s Framework and the challenges with a virus that continues to change.

Their shared expertise on this important cruise line public health leadership topic will benefit all who have questions on the CDC’s Framework and COVID-19 safeguards for safe cruising. Happy listening!

In Episode 2 of the GPHS podcast Season 2, we'll hear from Gus Skinner  and Jon Schnoor about the complexity of restarting cruise line  operations in a goal-oriented, metrics-driven environment. This episode comes at a very special time when cruise ships restart  sailing to Alaska without stopping in Canada. Making the shift from lockdowns to resumption is fraught with challenges, among them issues of  quarantines and vaccines. When aggregating articles for the  e-newsletter, Leader-SHIP, Gus reminds us that "the one constant is  change". We know this to be true.

In Episode 1 of the GPHS podcast Season 2, David Forney and Jon Schnoor discuss CDC requirements on the critical framework for conditional sailing and focus the discussion on the topic: restarting cruise operations.

What requirements will it take to cruise again?

They say that the cruise lines have worked very hard at developing protocols to ensure that cruising is a very healthy place to be, the CDC’s guidance, the conditional sailing order, is being updated on a daily basis, and things are still changing regularly within the industry itself, with experts from all over the world coming and working together to make the changes that will lead to realizing required public health performances.

In their shared expertise on cruise line public health, David and Jon guide us in understanding compliance requirements, and what is entailed in restarting cruise line operations. Happy listening!

Exploring cruise ship construction inspections during COVID-19; how plan reviews have been affected; what are some of the challenges shipyards are facing; how the travel ban has impacted shipyards with CDC not being able to travel, and how GPHS Consulting is active in continuing work with cruise ships under construction for launch or in preparation of returning to service.

Exploring the world of epidemiology on COVID-19 with the cruise industry in mind; what to expect with a return to service and the virus still present; what the cruise industry has in place to protect public health when sailing the seas; and what measures are being brought forth as we begin sailing again (in parts of the world).

Exploring measures that are taking place in preparation of a return to service post No Sail Order; the similarities and differences between the USA and Canadian cruise vessel inspection programs; how the two agencies are harmonized with COVID-19 precautionary measures; the impact on the cruise industry from the Canadian perspective; how cruise lines are taking action to address disembarking of passengers as cruising restarts (in some parts of the world); the relationship between public health and environmental health; and some of the ways companies are using innovation to shape the future of cruising.

Exploring various topics with the CDC's No Sail Order extension in mind; who is affected; what are some of the reasons for the extended date; the impact on the cruise industry and public health; as well as how cruising in Europe has started again; some of the changes with the 'new normal' being implemented onboard ships; and how it supports the restarting of cruising worldwide.

Exploring what to expect when the CDC's No Sail Order Expires from a cruise line public health perspective; what the cruise companies are already doing; what travelers need to keep in mind; and how the COVID-19 disease differs in what it brings, which is why there is a need for everyone, crew, managers, companies, governments, and passengers to work together on ensuring public health prevention is always top and center.

Exploring the No Sail Order with cruise line public health in the forefront; some of the differences with the no sail order for the COVID-19 outbreak compared to past no sail orders; how this is effecting the cruise industry as whole; what can executives and managers do in this time; what are the cruise lines already doing; and more.