>>>> NJCPHP News PHlash <<<

OCTOBER 15 ­ OCTOBER 31 2005

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S:

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Communication a weak spot in hospitals' disaster preparedness- Knight Ridder (10/14/05)
[2] Katrina prompts caregivers to review their plans- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (10/15/05)
[3] Lawmakers to consider nursing home evacuation incentive idea- AP (10/19/05)
[4] Federal government's role in bird-flu response limited- National Journal (10/21/05)
[5] LAX ponders bird-flu plan- NPR (10/25/05)

II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] PHLIER- Public Health Leadership Initiative for Emergency Response (1/23/06, opening retreat)
[2] Challenges in Global Health: From Smallpox to Polio, SARS and the Bird Flu (11/01/05)
[3] Clinical Terrorism: A Clinical and Public Health Response (11/01/05, 11/02/05, 11/03/05)
[4] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities (12/01/05)

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Call for Papers- Canada's Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP)
[2] RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge
[3] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preparedness- Online Course Offerings
[4] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health Agencies
[5] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS:

[1] Communication a weak spot in hospitals' disaster preparedness- Knight Ridder (10/14/05) The main challenge for hospitals during Hurricane Katrina was communication within the hospitals and externally with police, fire, and emergency responders, and communication continues to be an area of concern in disaster preparedness plans. Two hospitals in Gulfport, Mississippi that remained open during Katrina, were unable to use satellite and short wave
radio due to storm damaged antennas and had to rely on human runners. The lessons learned from Katrina will help the hospitals in planning for future disasters.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/news/nation/12904980.htm

[2] Katrina prompts caregivers to review their plans- Seattle Post-Intelligencer (10/15/05) Last week, caretakers and managers of elderly and disabled people in Washington took part in a state Senate hearing to evaluate whether state emergency plans consider the needs of vulnerable populations. "Certainly, [Hurricane] Katrina has forced us all to think a little bit deeper about the extent to which our plans would hold up under similar circumstances. We have to do broader-scale planning," said Deb Murphy, chief executive officer of the Washington Association of Housing and Services for the Aging. Murphy was one of several experts to participate in the hearing. A major earthquake on the Seattle fault line could result in thousands of injuries and deaths, experts predict. "We've all been worried about the possibility of the earthquake, the big one," said Will Parry, a spokesman for the Puget Sound Council of Senior Citizens. The state has a sizable population of residents in nursing homes, boarding homes, and adult family homes, as well as home-bound individuals with disabilities. Murphy and others told the Senate committee that plans need to be developed for large-scale crises requiring mass evacuation. "Lots of times, people with disabilities or older people are not really part of the community fabric. Everybody just assumes they'll be taken care of," said Sue Elliott, executive director of The Arc of Washington State, an advocacy group for residents with developmental disabilities.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/244752_vulnerable15.html

[3] Lawmakers to consider nursing home evacuation incentive idea- AP (10/19/05) A measure has been introduced in the Florida State Senate that would give nursing homes incentives for taking hurricane evacuees from other nursing homes. Nursing homes in non-coastal evacuation areas could upgrade their generators to be able to maintain full power if they agree to take in residents from nursing homes in evacuated areas, and would be reimbursed for the cost of the upgrades. Sen. Gwen Margolis who proposed the bill said that this would increase the suitable places for nursing home residents to go when evacuated.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/03FloridaSTAT03POLFCANE101905.htm

[4] Federal government's role in bird-flu response limited- National Journal (10/21/05) A bird-flu pandemic in the US would rely on local public health systems. The federal government's role would be advisory with the Centers for Disease Control issuing healthcare guidance and the Department of Health and Senior Services would release stockpiled medical equipment. Pat Libbey, the executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials said, "Communities, in large part, will be on their own."
http://govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=32616&dcn=todaysnews

[5] LAX ponders bird-flu plan- NPR (10/25/05) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a key entry point for flights from Asia. Authorities at the airport are preparing quarantine plans for passengers with avian influenza. The link is to the audio file and report from NPR.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4973267

II. UPCOMING EVENTS:

[1] PHLIER- Public Health Leadership Initiative for Emergency Response is a case based, public health leadership development program for emerging public health leaders. In 8 seminars, The PHLIER Fellows will explore contemporary public health challenges such as emergency preparedness, public health law, health department structure, and emerging infections. Registration will end on November 30, 2005 and Fellows will be selected by December 15, 2005. The opening retreat will be January 23-24, 2006. For more information and to apply: www.njcphp.org/phlier

[2] Challenges in Global Health: From Smallpox to Polio, SARS and the Bird Flu, Dr. David Heymann, the Representative of Director-General for Polio Eradication and former executive director of communicable disease at the World Health Organization will be speaking at Seton Hall about the international health challenges posed by smallpox, polio, SARS and the bird flu. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, November 1, 9:30 - 10:30 am, in the Walsh Library Beck Rooms at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ. For more information: http://diplomacy.shu.edu/mainframe1.htm

[3] Clinical Terrorism: A Clinical and Public Health Response will be held on November 1, 2005 at the Bergen County EMS Training Center in Paramus, NJ, November 2, 2005 at the Middlesex Fire Academy in Sayreville, NJ, and on November 3, 2005 at Barry D. Brown Health Education Center in Voorhees, NJ. This one-day program will provide a comprehensive overview of response roles of various agencies during and following a chemical terrorism event. Fee: $40.00 Register on- line at www.nltn.org/287-05

[4] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities December 1, 2005, Fellowship Village, Basking Ridge, NJ, 8:30am ­ 3:30pm. Presented by the New Jersey Society for Public Health Education. (NJSOPHE) Please visit www.njsophe.org for more information

For a complete listing of preparedness training events and educational course offerings, please visit the ASPH Centers for Public Health Preparedness Online Education Calendar at:
http://www.asph.org/acphp/educationCalendar.cfm

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS

[1] CALL FOR PAPERS Environment Canada's 29th Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar provides a forum for technology transfer among professionals working in the field of oil spills and hazardous materials spills. It will include a session for the 23rd Technical Seminar on Chemical Spills (TSOCS). This year¹s conference will include a special counter-terrorism session. The Seminar will be held from June 6 to 8, 2006 at the Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites at Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information about registration and hotel accommodations, see the Seminar Information page:
http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/news/conferences/amop/amop_call_06.html.

[2] RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge is a six part mini- series that will air on PBS beginning November 1, 2005. The program will cover the history of public health, modern medicine, public health preparedness, vector-borne diseases, nutrition, and the challenges in providing medicine and public health nationally and globally. For more information: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival

[3] The Nursing Center for Bioterrorism and Emerging Infectious Diseases Preparedness in collaboration with the Rutgers College of Nursing Center for Professional Development present online course offerings for nurses and other public health professionals. Eight different courses are being offered on topics including biological weapons, infection control, and psychosocial care. For more information, including how to register, go to http://nursing.rutgers.edu/cpd or call The Center for Professional Development at (973) 353-5895.

[4] Voluntary Accreditation System for State and Local Public Health Agencies. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) have announced formal efforts to explore development of a voluntary accreditation system for state and local public health agencies. As part of the project, a steering committee will be established to write "definitive recommendations" for structuring the system. The committee also will evaluate the feasibility and desirability of accrediting state and local public health agencies. The steering committee's recommendations will be released in one year. For more information, visit http://www.naccho.org/press/releases/PressReleaseAugust1.cfm.

[5] NJ Medical Reserve Corps looking for volunteers The New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps launches a new website to sign up volunteers. Individuals interested in joining "... a dedicated group of individuals that can be relied upon in the event of a bioterrorist or natural disaster..." should visit http://www.njmrc.nj.gov/hcpr/ to sign up for this important group.

For more information, or to view the NJCPHP News PHlash Archive, please visit us at www.njcphp.org Please send any subscription inquiries to baronre@umdnj.edu

The New Jersey Center for Public Health Preparedness at UMDNJ, UMDNJ- School of Public Health does not claim responsibility for accuracy of facts and information presented. All opinions expressed are those of the original authors and do not represent the views of NJCPHP staff or affiliates. NJCPHP News PHlash, a bi-weekly news bulletin, is distributed free of charge electronically, with the intention of sharing information of interest and value to our subscribers.
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