THE NEW JERSEY CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AT UMDNJ UMDNJ - SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

>>>NJCPHP News PHlash <<<

NOVEMBER 1 ­ NOVEMBER 11 2005

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

I. PREPAREDNESS NEWS
[1] Quarantine stressing voluntary compliance- CDC (11/05)
[2] Essential services 'under threat' from bird flu- The Courier Mail (11/01/05)
[3] Bush outlines $7.1B flu-fighting strategy- AP (11/01/05)
[4] Flu plan counts on public cooperation- The Washington Post (11/03/06)
[5] Expert sees similar challenges in responses to pandemic influenza and bioterror attack- Global Security Newswire 11/07/05)
[6] Official questions emergency preparedness of area- The Shreveport Times (11/09/05)

II. UPCOMING EVENTS
[1] PHLIER- Public Health Leadership Initiative for Emergency Response (1/23/06, opening retreat)
[2] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities (12/01/05)
[3] Winter 2005 Infectious Disease Summit (12/05/05 and 12/06/05)
[4] I-700 Introduction to NIMS (12/13/05, 12/14/05, 12/19/05, 12/20/05, 12/21/05)
[5] Coping with Disaster (12/09/10-12/10/05)
[6] Ready or not? Planning and evaluating emergency response within a local public health agency (12/10/05)

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS
[1] Call for Papers- Canada's Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP)
[2] Avian Influenza Response from USAID
[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] Quarantine stressing voluntary compliance- CDC (11/05) The paper focuses on a completed study in San Diego about quarantine. A 1-day tabletop exercise was done in December 2004 that emphasized voluntary compliance with home quarantine to control and emerging infectious disease outbreak. The exercise heightened local civilian-military collaboration in public health emergency management. Addressing concerns about lost income by residents in quarantine was particularly challenging. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no11/05-0661.htm

[2] Essential services 'under threat' from bird flu- The Courier Mail (11/01/05) Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum discussed the economic implications of an influenza pandemic. Essential services such as power stations, water supply, and sewers could be in jeopardy during a pandemic. Trade, tourism, business, and transportation of goods would be costly and preparedness and rapid response is the challenge.
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17096598%255E953,00.html

[3] Bush outlines $7.1B flu-fighting strategy- AP (11/01/05) President Bush unveiled a $7.1 billion plan to prepare the US for an influenza pandemic. The focus of the plan is on vaccines, including stockpiling enough to protect first responders and to speed production of vaccines. The money will also go to stockpiling Tamiflu and Relenza, testing poultry, and international preparations. Each state will receive some money for stockpiling the drugs and money for preparedness. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051101/ap_on_he_me/bush_flu

[4] Flu plan counts on public cooperation- The Washington Post (11/03/06) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its pandemic influenza plan that outlines several strategies for fighting an outbreak.
The plan includes suggestions for how state and local health departments can marshal scarce resources and manpower, and tools for surveillance of air travelers, rationing antiviral drugs, imposing "snow days" to keep people home, and controlling rumors to prevent panic. The plan says public cooperation and good sense are key.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110200349.html?nav=rss_email/components

[5] Expert sees similar challenges in responses to pandemic influenza and bioterror attack- Global Security Newswire (11/07/05) The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza and the National Response Plan have many parallels. The National Response Plan outlines how the US should respond to a bioterror attack and the roles of federal, state, and local law and public health agencies have. The pandemic influenza plan outlines how to detect a pandemic outbreak and track infected people, how to manage drug shortages, and suggests how to manage hospitals and public health agencies services. "I think there are overlaps between planning and response to pandemic influenza and an intentional bioterrorism attack," said Richard Waldhorn a Georgetown University professor.
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/print.asp?story_id=B5E67BA6-6B0D-4316-B68B-5346AE65274D

[6] Official questions emergency preparedness of area- The Shreveport Times (11/09/05) In Shreveport, Louisiana, Councilman Theron Jackson and Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran have addressed concerns from residents about emergency preparedness in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Jackson said that residents may be a first responder and elected officials will be asked to give answers. "I don't believe any elected official will be solely focused just on their political leadership. From now on they will be judged also on their knowledge of emergency preparedness," Cochran said. http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051109/NEWS01/511090330/1002

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] The Role of Health Educators in Addressing Health Disparities December 1, 2005, Fellowship Village, Basking Ridge, NJ, 8:30am ­ 3:30pm. Program is designed to outline strategies for health educators to bridge the gap in health disparities. Target audience includes: health educators, public health nurses, and other public health professionals. Presented by the New Jersey Society for Public Health Education. (NJSOPHE) Please visit www.njsophe.org for more information

[3] Winter 2005 Infectious Disease Summit will be held on December 5 at the Birchwood Manor is Whippany and on December 6 at the Mansion on Main Street in Voorhees. This program is geared towards health care professionals, nurses, public health, emergency health care, epidemiologists, health educators and infection control practitioners. It is a full-day program (9am-3:30pm) and breakfast & lunch are included. For more information and to register: http://njlmn.rutgers.edu

[4] I-700 Introduction to NIMS is a classroom-based version of FEMA's I-700 Introduction to NIMS course. This program is an important element in achieving NIMS compliance. It will be offered from 9:00am to 1:00pm on the following 5 dates in December:

1. Dec 13 - Morris County Fire/Police Academy, Parsippany
2. Dec 14 - Gloucester County Government Services Building, Clayton
3. Dec 19 - Middlesex County Fire Academy, Sayreville
4. Dec 20 - Rutgers EcoComplex, Bordentown
5. Dec 21 - Bergen County EMS Training Center, Paramus

The 4-hour course is FREE to attend but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Registration is ONLY available on-line at the NJ Learning Management Network: http://njlmn.rutgers.edu *Sorry, no food or refreshments will be served. Please plan to bring your own. Questions about this program? Contact Becky Sheil: sheil@cook.rutgers.edu

[5] "Coping with Disaster" NJ-PTC partner the UMDNJ School of Public Health is proud to present "Coping with Disaster" at the December 9 and December 10 conference of the NJ Community Health Workers at the Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ. For more information contact: New Jersey Community Health Worker Institute NJ AHEC / UMDNJ-SOM 42 East Laurel Road, Suite 3200 Stratford, NJ 08084 856-566-6724 or njchwi@umdnj.edu

[6] Ready or not? Planning and evaluating emergency response within a local public health agency (12/10/05) The purpose of this institute is to provide local public health professionals with skills and information that will facilitate planning for and evaluating emergency drills and exercises, whether they are conducted in collaboration with other agencies or within the public health community. Materials include guidance on identifying exercise goals, planning scenarios, selecting evaluation criteria, developing evaluator materials, and moving from observation to summary evaluation and after action reports. All materials are consistent with national guidance on drills and exercises. Saturday, December 10, 2005: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM CE Hours: 3 contact hours For more information:
http://www.apha.org/meetings/continuing_ed.htm

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] Avian Influenza Response from USAID- The US Agency of International Development has a section on their website devoted to avian influenza. USAID is working to ensure an effective and coordinated approach to this economic and public health threat.
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/news_items/avian_influenza.html

[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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