Upcoming Satellite Broadcasts:

Psychological First Aid: Building Resiliency for "Us" and "Them"
January 22, 2009

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Central Time)
 

Surviving the aftermath of a disaster is often just as frightening as living through the moments of uncertainty during the disaster.  These types of catastrophic events can provoke a wide array of emotions not just in survivors but also in first responders.  The after effects of a disaster can take their toll on a person's mind and can spark confusion, fear, hopelessness, sleeplessness, anxiety, grief, shock, guilt, shame, and loss of confidence in themselves and others.

The importance of Psychological First Aid (PFA) for victims of a disaster as well as first responders has been well established.  From the attacks of 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the mental impact of a disaster often has far reaching and lasting effects.  While more attention is being paid to the psychological needs of victims and first responders, the fact remains that often times during an actual crisis, those needs are not addressed or are not emphasized based on the surrounding physical and environmental needs.

Promoting an environment of safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, empowerment and hope is the main goal of providing Psychological First Aid.  That's why basic training in the foundations of PFA is critical for anyone who may be called to respond in a disaster situation.  This program will help you to better recognize and manage the basic symptoms of psychological distress and give you the tools you need to apply basic Psychological First Aid to children, the elderly, the general population and yourself.  Remember, as a first responder, your early contacts with disaster victims can help alleviate frightening emotions and provide a sense of hope and healing in a time of disarray.

Experiences with Strategic Planning in Public Health Organizations
February 05, 2009

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Central Time)
 

Defining strategic planning is pretty simple, actually doing it gets a little more complex.  Let's start with the easy part.  Strategic planning determines where an organization is going in the immediate future and how it's going to get there.  The process can be organization-wide or more focused on a division, department or other major function.  Where it gets complex is determining how to do it since there are several approaches that can be used to conduct a strategic planning session.

Often times state and local health departments are reluctant about the idea of engaging in formal strategic planning even though the process has been known to produce favorable benefits for companies.  Strategic planning can be an involved process though, and many organizations simply don't have the time, resources or leadership to conduct a beneficial session.  During this program, we'll explore both sides of the coin, learn more about effectively implementing plans in health departments and focus on lessons learned from other state and county health departments that have engaged in the strategic planning process.

Upcoming Workshops:

Burn Evaluation and Care for Emergency Responders Course
Prattville, AL - Friday, January 23, 2009

Tuscaloosa, AL - Monday, February 9, 2009

Mobile, AL - Monday, February 16, 2009

*For registration and a full list of dates and locations please click here

This 8 hour course is intended for first responders and receivers including firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and nurses who would be the first to treat burn victims.  The Burn Evaluation and Care for Emergency Responders Course, adapted from the American Burn Association materials and trainings, introduces information relevant to the care of casualties from burn injuries.

For more information please contact Michael Poole at the UAB School of Public Health (Phone: (205) 934-7735; Email: mepoole@uab.edu)

Disaster Medicine 101: Post-Earthquake Public Health and Medical Issues in the New Madrid Seismic Zone
Little Rock, AR

Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Auditorium

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The class will present a big-picture overview of public health concepts related to the earthquake threat in the New Madrid Seismic Zone.  It is open to first responders, medical professionals, public health officials, emergency managers, and others concerned with public health issues following an earthquake.  Topics for the class include:

• The New Madrid Earthquake Threat and the Effects on Key Infrastructure

• Rapid Assessments and Disease Surveillance Activities during a Major Disaster

• Role of the Environmental Health Specialist during a Disaster

• Earthquake Disaster-Related Injuries and Injury Prevention

• Disaster Mental Health Consequences: Protecting the Responders

All who are interested in attending the class in Little Rock or via the videoconferencing sites are to register through the ADH learning management system known as A-TRAIN at https://ar.train.org  The Course ID number is 1015426.  To register, please select the site you will be attending.  If you plan on attending at a hospital site that is not listed, please register for the Arkansas Hospital Association site.  The class size in ADH's auditorium is limited to 100, and all registrations will be taken online on a first-come, first-served basis.  The class will also be available on a limited basis via videoconferencing by IP to the CUSEC member-states' public health agencies.

For more information please contact Debbie Campbell at ADH (Phone: (501) 661-2747; Email: debbie.campbell@arkansas.gov) or Taniesha Langston at ADH (Phone: (501) 280-4678; Email: taniesha.langston@arkansas.gov)

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.

Two Years Later: Continued Psychological Difficulties of First Responders and the Affected General Population

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.

Other Training Opportunities:

Preparedness Minute Video

Preparedness Minutes are video clips describing actions to take in emergency situations, whether they are at work or at home.  Some of the videos will be reminders, others will present new information.  Ultimately these videos will help you be prepared for an emergency or disaster.  Below is the link to our latest clip on administering psychological first aid.

Watch Video

Third Public Health Certificate Program Has Launched

The South Central Public Health Partnership (SCPHP) is pleased to announce the launch of its third online certificate program in public health. The SCPHP certificate program provides a certificate of completion upon completion of all courses in a particular subject or focus area. The third series in the SCPHP certificate program is Bioterrorism Preparedness. There are 5 courses required for this program. This certificate program includes courses that provide training in bioterrorism preparedness and understanding the public health threat. Emergency providers that will be responding to bioterrorism events are also one of the focuses of this program. Course titles will be shown once you enroll to the certificate program. The Partnership is excited about this newest addition to our online training programs. For more information on how to register for the new certificate program, go to the user manual

**Note: Certificates of completion will be mailed once a month to individuals based on the address listed in the SCPHP Learning Management System. Enrollees in the certificate program are advised to check their address under Profile.

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.

Other Online Courses Avilable:

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.

Mass Casualty Medical Command

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.

Quick Links:

Register Now!
South Central Public Health Partnership
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health

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.