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In This Issue:
Upcoming Satellite Broadcasts: A Multi-State, Multi-Organizational Solution to Limited Regional Pediatric Medical Surge Capacity in the Southeastern United States
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Central Time) A lack of pediatric surge capacity is particularly acute in the Southeastern United States because of the relatively low number of pediatric facilities and limited health resources. Program faculty will address the obstacles faced in regional pediatric surge and discuss the efforts of more than 40 organizations to organize and maintain the Southeastern Regional Pediatric Disaster Surge Network (the Network) - a voluntary group of health care providers, public health departments, volunteers, and emergency responders from five southern states.
The Management of Epidemic Disease
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Central Time) Population growth, societal aging, urbanization, rapid transportation, economic interdependence, and emerging infectious disease have expanded community vulnerability far beyond what could have been imagined a few generations ago. But, an expansion of medical technology has provided an array of tools and techniques for therapeutics and public health disease management never before imagined. Program faculty will examine disease as a social event in an evolving global community and discuss why applying new systems and science is critical for tomorrow's public health professional.
H1N1 and Social Distancing - What it All Means People have heard a lot of reports about H1N1 in recent months without being given practical information that can be applied to everyday activities. The South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness has developed a short video that addresses one of these activities - social distancing. When you or someone in your family contracts H1N1, what precautions should you take so that you don't spread the virus to other people? Can you leave your house? How does social distancing differ for children and the elderly? We have compiled information from the CDC, Health and Human Services and the latest research to answer these questions and more. View Video For more information, you can view our booklet How to Manage the Flu (PDF) New Online Courses Available: Burn Evaluation and Care for Emergency Responders According to United States Fire Administration data, in 2007 fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined. Approximately 10,000 people in the United States die every year because of infections that complicate burns. While burn injuries are common in the United States, specialized burn centers often lack the capability to care for large numbers of burn victims. For this reason, improved initial evaluation, triage and management of burn injuries can significantly impact victim outcomes. These tasks are most commonly performed by emergency responders and first receivers (paramedics, nurses and physicians). This course will raise the overall burn care expertise among participants and prepare these individuals to respond to public health threats and burn-related emergencies.
Alternative Standards of Care in Disaster Emergency events and disasters require the affected population to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances including an often abruptly limited scope of public health services. Optimization of outcome requires all available resources to be preserved, coordinated and focused so as to optimize community response in dealing with the normal ongoing needs of the stricken and spared populations, the special disaster-related needs of the population at risk and the special needs encountered by populations with special vulnerability. Alternative standards of care will allow a community adapting to the hierarchy of needs of the population at risk to streamline and simplify the support process during arduous circumstances so as to maximally preserve life. The development of rational "fall-back" positions preserves a rational process with accepted outcomes. This permits effective prevention to drive resiliency into a preparation for emergency action which defines personnel, logistics and communications requirements enabling the most effective consequence management and leading to early, effective and coordinated recovery. Guiding the integration of alternative standards into the public health system as a component of preparedness involves articulating the best amalgam of current technology and available resources capable of a robust and reliable outcome. Prevention based management, broad based community planning driving integration of interests and resources across the broad range of interests and potentially responding agencies, is a critical step in advancing beyond the existing operational inadequacies, stovepiping and ineffective coordination of recovery based management.
Improving Disaster Communication: The Role of Poison Control Centers in Public Health Disaster and mass event situations can lead to uncertainty, fear, anxiety and stress. In these situations, community members need effective and timely information. Poison centers currently offer advice to the general public and the healthcare system on a wide range of poisonings and toxicological issues. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are staffed by specialists who are trained and experienced in handling individuals in extremely stressful situations. Even though poison centers assume a primary role in poisoning prevention and education, they additionally play a major role in disaster communication, surveillance and public health. Faculty will present the ways poison control has previously connected communities with vital public health information and the future possibilities of collaborations between public health and poison control. Recent incidents such as the SARS outbreak and spinach contamination with E. coli highlight the potential role of poison centers in enhancing the public health response to mass events and disasters. This course will also discuss the potential for public health and poison centers to develop plans for communication and coordination during disasters and mass events. Through such strategic alliances, public health will be able to quickly provide poison centers with vital information, reliable refer the community to poison center phone lines for essential information, and be able to effectively respond to the event in the field as needed. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
The Pharmacist's Role in Disasters Hurricanes, tornadoes, bioterrorism, and pandemic flu are all examples of events that create emergencies for the public health system. Such events have disrupted the lives and healthcare of thousands of individuals and will do so again in the future. Regardless of the type of event, when such emergencies occur, communities and individuals face real difficulties related to the need to obtain and properly use pharmaceutical products or the need to maintain appropriate pharmaceutical therapies. Pharmacists serve the fundamental role in our ability, as a society, to initiate a pharmaceutical emergency response where needed, and to maintain appropriate pharmaceutical care for a damaged community. The broadcast faculty in this session will discuss the changing role of the pharmacist in the public health system as well as the specific roles of the pharmacist during a public health emergency response. They will also present examples from the experiences of the pharmacy community during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
Community Partnerships and Perspectives - Basic Level This course provides an introduction and overview to community partnerships and perspectives series. It will familiarize you with concepts and skills necessary in working with communities to improved public health. At various points throughout the course you will be prompted to complete exercises that can be found in the course workbook.
Orientation
to the Essentials of Public Health - Introductory Level This course provides a brief history of public health in the US. It also discusses the guiding principles for those who practice public health. From the initial three core functions of public health first defined by the Institute of Medicine in 1988 through the current 10 essential services of public health set by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The expanded role of public health in the times of disasters is also explored. Examples of current public health initiatives in the Southeast as well as testimonials by current public health employees demonstrates the importance of public health in today's society.
Psychological
First Aid: Building Resiliency for "Us" and "Them" The importance of Psychological First Aid 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 Psychological First Aid 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, and others in general. NOTE: This course was originally presented as a satellite broadcast.
Other Training Opportunities: Burn Evaluation and Care for Emergency Medical Personnel Course Date: Saturday, January 16, 2010 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Location: Huntsville Hospital's Corporate University, 101 Sivley Road, Huntsville, Alabama 35801 Course Description: This 5 hour course is intended for Emergency Medical Personnel who would be the first to treat burn victims. The Burn Evaluation and Care for Emergency Medical Personnel Course, adapted from the American Burn Association materials and trainings, introduces information relevant to the care of casualties from burn injuries. CME units will be available (credit hours TBD): The University of Alabama School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent for the participation in the activity. Registration: This course is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required. For more information please contact Valerie Yeager at the UAB School of Public Health (E-mail: vyeager@uab.edu Phone: 205-975-8961) To register, please visit http://www.southcentralpartnership.org/burnevaluation12010 Master of Public Health (MPH) in Disaster Management Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Environmental Health Sciences 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 on the MPH program, please visit: http://dl.caeph.tulane.edu or contact Albert Terrillion at DLinfo@tulane.edu or at 1-800-862-2122. Master of Public Health (MPH) in Public Health Preparedness Management and Policy University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Department of Health Care Organization & Policy This specialized degree covers all hazards preparedness topics including, event typologies, response organization, leadership and management, hazard and risk assessment policy development and evaluation and risk communication. Public Health Preparedness Management and Policy Learning Objectives
For more information on the MPH degree, please visit: https://www.soph.uab.edu/node/1213 Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Public Health Management University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Department of Health Care Organization & Policy The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program in Public Health Management prepares current and future public health leaders and research faculty to apply critical thinking and rigorous research methods to complex problems facing public health practitioners and policy makers. The program focuses on public health management, organization, and leadership issues and allows students to specialize in preparedness management and policy or any of the other public health disciplines: biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, or health behavior. For more information on the DrPH degree, please visit: https://www.soph.uab.edu/node/1214 Preparedness Minute Videos 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. Please visit the link below to watch any of our preparedness minute videos. New Preparedness Minute Videos by Dr. Joshua Klapow, Associate Professor, Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Other Online Courses Available:
Consequences
of a Foreign Animal Disease on the Rural Community The food industry, including livestock, is one of the most open industries in North America, and is readily susceptible to outbreaks of Foreign Animal Disease (FAD). FAD could be introduced accidentally - as happened in the UK - or it could be introduced intentionally. History has illustrated that during an FAD, there is massive and widespread depopulation of millions of animals and a major disruption to most related livestock industries. There also are significant ill effects on domestic and export markets for meat and milk, and the potential for a downward spiral for the national economy. The control of FAD is not a technical challenge - it is a resource management challenge. It is a public relations and an information management challenge. It also can be an endurance challenge, typified in the past by the six months spend working on Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK and more than 450 days spent working on the 1997 classical swine fever outbreak in the Netherlands. We need to understand the risks associated with FAD and know what we can do to prevent them or at least reduce their impact. The social and psychological impact of FAD will be at all levels of society occurring at the national, regional and local or community level. Neighbors will be against neighbors as the disease strikes one and not the other. This will cause numerous conflicts, disputes, family breakdowns and lawsuits. This program will focus on the psychological issues affecting two groups during an adverse animal event: the families directly impacted and those who are called upon to respond. Drawing from his personal and professional experience in England during the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease event, Dr. Van Wie will relate the experiences of livestock producers who lost their animals and their livelihoods, as well as the emotional impact he endured himself as a responder to the event. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
The challenges of disaster and emergency planning and the coordination of response increase significantly when the event spans state lines, borders of sovereign Tribal nations, and international borders. Challenges associated with cross border response range from technical issues such as the compatibility of communications systems to legal issues such as authority and power of responders to the managerial issues of planning, organizing, and controlling the response. In order to deal with these challenges multi-jurisdictional agreements in the forms of Memorandums of Understanding and Mutual Aid Agreements are often created. While such agreements are essential to developing the details of collaboration, testing the effectiveness in terms of both substance and form through drills and exercises is necessary and offers additional benefits of strengthening relationships and building confidence among cross-border response organizations. NOTE: This course was originally presented as a satellite broadcast.
Special Needs
Populations in Disaster Response 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.
Psychology of Terrorism and Psychological Counterterrorism: 7 Things You Should Know Sun-Tzu once wrote that to win at war you must know the enemy as you know yourself. This means knowing the manner in which the war will be fought. Winning the war on terrorism requires a practical understanding of the nature of terrorism and those who use it. This program will focus on the most important component of the war, which is the psychology of the weapon itself and its implications for public health preparedness and response. NOTE: This course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.
Productive Communication Skills This course is designed to provide you with the communication skills you will need to help you take the next step up in your organization. After taking this course, you will be able to reach a positive outcome with those you supervise by understanding personal communication style differences, using turn-taking effectively, noticing facial expressions which may signal emotions, and maintaining an appropriate body posture when communicating. You will learn the preferred pace of the different styles, and how styles shift under stress. You will learn how to increase your productivity by identifying high payoff activities, handling conflicting priorities, and using your most productive time of day to your advantage. You will learn how to deal with difficult people by improving your listening skills and becoming a more persuasive person.
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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. |
