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New Online Courses Available: Special Needs Populations in Disaster Response This course will discuss the basic principles which should underlie disaster consequence management, planning and appropriate actions within the action phases of disaster response. It will focus on the saving of life and mitigation of injury for victims with special needs and vulnerabilities. The discussion will examine how culture and religion are population characteristics which may be usefully considered in the context of special needs when designing and executing consequence management activities during a crisis. The discussion will assist in identifying vulnerable populations in a community at risk and assess significant requirements and challenges inherent in their time-phased emergency support. It will examine the tools required for lifesaving as well as those needed for broader consequence management which can be confidently employed. It will also discuss the most effective manners of use for these tools.
This course examines the continued psychological and adjustment issues in the population affected by Hurricane Katrina. The impact of the disaster on the first responders to Katrina is also discussed. The discussion is based on the current research regarding the present psychological status and personal experience of those affected by the hurricane. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Children After Large-Scale Disasters As communities across the country are planning and preparing their response to large-scale disasters (natural, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive), special attention needs to be paid to populations considered at high-risk for negative consequences. One of the highest risk groups is children. By understanding the emotional needs of children in the face of these traumatic events, preparations can be made that will improve outcomes and promote resilience. Disasters can leave children feeling frightened, confused, and insecure. Whether a child has personally experienced trauma, has merely seen the event on television, or has heard it discussed by adults, it is important that healthcare professionals be informed and ready to help if reactions to stress begin to occur. Children may respond to disasters by demonstrating fears, sadness, or behavioral problems. Younger children may return to earlier behavior patterns, such as bedwetting, sleep problems, and separation anxiety. Older children may also display anger, aggression, school problems, or withdrawal. Some children who have only indirect contact with the disaster but witness it on television may develop distress. This course will describe how children may respond to traumatic events, with a focus on CBRNE incidents. Ideas for interventions, including a new model of Psychological First Aid will be presented. Finally, recommendations for preparation considerations will be explored. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
Upcoming Satellite Broadcast: Strengthening Public Health Capacity to Serve the Community: Applying Accreditation and Quality Improvement Tools
December 11, 2008 The challenge of protecting the public's well-being on everything from threats of bioterrorism and disease outbreaks to clean drinking water and seatbelt laws is forcing health departments to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Now momentum is building for the establishment of a voluntary national public health accreditation program targeting state and local health departments. Considerable progress is already being made, largely due in part to the formation of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The board is made up of national public health practice organizations and exists solely to raise the standard for public health. Committees are already working to draft new standards that correspond closely with the 10 Essential Public Health Services (EPHS) framework. The PHAB accreditation model's focus will be on quality improvement with an emphasis on strengthening the capacity and performance of health departments to improve community health status. The PHAB accreditation program has not advanced in a vacuum. During the past three years, the Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC) has been a real-time laboratory for both existing public health accreditation programs and cutting edge quality improvement activities. Many of the lessons learned have been applied directly to the national accreditation model, and are shaping its structure. Program faculty will inform viewers about the importance of public health accreditation and quality improvement, and will provide participants an opportunity to evaluate the potential of specific tools to transform the capacity of their public health agency. Partner Update: Every Second Counts with Gustav Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS), the Mississippi Department of Health, and Tulane University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness joined forces to host “Every Second Counts”-Responding to People with Disabilities in Times of Disaster Conference in Biloxi , MS on July 29-30, 2008.
The objective of the conference was to discuss best emergency preparation and disaster response practices for people with disabilities and encourage the involvement of persons with disabilities in planning at the local level. MDRS staff provided informative training sessions such as “Techniques for Working with Persons with Blindness or Visual Impairments”, “Techniques for Working with Persons with Mobility Impairments”, and “Survival Sign Language”. Dr. Norman Miller, MDRS Deputy of Administration, took a lead role in coordinating the conference with our partners. As he stated, “The staff took on a great responsibility in training first responders and emergency coordinators.”
The audience included professionals who work with people with disabilities, including family caregivers, advocates, case workers, EMA officials, and others. Exactly a month later, these professionals had the opportunity to practice the techniques and planning addressed in the conference when Hurricane Gustav threatened the Mississippi Gulf Coast and an evacuation took effect. Staff of MDRS and the Department of Health worked closely with state and local agencies and emergency planners in evacuating and sheltering individuals with disabilities. Luckily, our Coast escaped major damages and evacuees with special medical needs were able to return home shortly after the storm passed. More information regarding MDRS response to Hurricane Gustav will be included in next month’s MDRS newsletter. Other Online Courses Available: This course is intended for pre-hospital care providers who may be called on to respond to a mass casualty incident when large numbers of victims are injured or exposed to a natural or man made disaster, including the intentional attack on people using a CBRNE agent. The Incident Command System (ICS) including the use of unified command function will be followed to better prepare trainees how to respond with maximum effectiveness and establish medical command at a mass casualty event involving a single command structure or multi-agency/multi-jurisdictional response.
Continuity of Operations Planning The purpose of this course is to understand the management issues in disaster and its outcomes through examining the crisis cycle involved in risk audit, mitigation, preparedness planning, impact of the crisis event, response and recovery. Exercises and discussion will be incorporated as part of the discussion of each of the crisis phases.
Disaster Management Program A new program in Disaster Management is being offered by Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Environmental Health Sciences. This program is offered both on campus and by distance learning through the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health (CAEPH). Students may obtain either a graduate certificate or the full MPH in disaster management. The Tulane CAEPH distance learning programs are geared to mid career professionals. CAEPH uses state-of-the-art synchronous distance learning technologies to enhance learning and networking. For more information, contact Albert Terrillion at DLinfo@tulane.edu or at 1-800-862-2122. Quick Links: Register
Now! Participants have 7 weeks to complete each course. A certificate of completion is awarded to those who score 70% or better on the knowledge-based assessment. All courses are FREE. Sponsored by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This email was sent to you because you have participated in a training offered by the South Central Public Health Partnership. These projects are supported under a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grant number U90/CCU624254-02, and the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources Administration (HRSA) grant number D20HP00012-07. The contents of this program are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.
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