Population Monitoring During Radiological Emergencies. Speaker Adela Salame-Alfie, Ph.D. Assistant Director Division of Environmental Health Investigation New York State Department of Health will discuss population monitoring during radiological emergencies and lessons learned from the full scale radiological exercise Empire 09.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Understand the concept of population monitoring
2. Increase knowledge of key planning principles and objectives of population monitoring
3. Learn what a Community Reception Center (CRC) is and its use following a radiological emergency
4. Observe a CRC in practice through lessons learned from Empire 09

Originally Broadcast November 12, 2009

Program Description:
Co-sponsored by the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health.

This program focuses on the potential impact on environmental health services during disasters, and the steps of disaster management before, during and after an event.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Discuss the EPA Risk Paradigm
2. Discuss the impact of environmental disasters on human health and welfare
3. Determine how to minimize the impact of an environmental disaster through effective preparedness and management strategies

Original Broadcast Date: December 13, 2007

Program Description:

In late 2002, researchers began a three-year, multi-disciplinary study to determine the individual, organizational, structural, and environmental factors related to the evacuation from the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11, 2001. The study’s principal investigator will share findings and discuss how understanding contributing factors may lead to significant improvements in evacuation procedures for other high-rise buildings, improved employee safety training, and possible changes to building design, codes and standards.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Identify features of high-rise buildings and predicted human behavior during an emergency
2. Recognize individual, organizational and environmental factors related to initiation and rate of evacuation
3. Identify risk factors for injuries and long-term health problems
4. Be informed of policies and practices that support safe evacuation of high-rise structures.

Original Broadcast Date: February 8, 2007

Program Description:
Dr. desVignes-Kendrick will share a broad perspective on the need to develop a systematic approach to meet the health care needs of the public during an emergency event, citing data and valuable lessons learned from a rapid health assessment of sheltering Katrina evacuees in Houston.

The program will also feature a short interview with Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director of the APHA, discussing health care in disasters and the preparedness theme of the upcoming National Public Health Week.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Describe the key challenges in conducting a large-scale (>30,000 evacuees) rapid health assessment of individuals acutely displaced by Hurricane Katrina
2. Discuss several challenges in addressing the acute and chronic health care needs of large numbers of evacuees in Houston’s large shelters
3. Describe lessons learned from the Katrina experience in Houston’s large shelters
4. Offer observations and recommendations to improve disaster preparedness and response.

Original Broadcast Date: March 8, 2007

Program Description:
This program highlights the importance of partnering with community based organizations to protect vulnerable populations during disasters. The speaker describes a multi-agency coordinating group which was formed to enhance human and technological capacity to communicate and to better manage regional health and medical resources in an all-hazards emergency or disaster.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize the need to collaborate with community partners in preparedness planning efforts
2. Develop strategies to engage community partners in emergency planning
3. Identify lessons learned through drills and exercises conducted in collaboration with community based organizations
4. Describe the value of a health and medical multi-agency coordinating group during emergencies

Original Broadcast Date: January 10, 2008

Compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a critical piece of your community’s preparedness programs, but has anyone really explained how public health activities fit into the NIMS framework? You may have heard that your preparedness work should be “NIMS compliant” but what does that mean for you, working daily on the frontline of public health? Join our live studio audience in answering these questions and several others during this 90-minute program on the implications of NIMS for public health. Through the presentation and dialog with the studio audience and viewers around the country, participants will learn the basics of NIMS and related Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) initiatives. The program will focus on practical “take-home” information for local and state public health personnel seeking to learn more about NIMS and NIMS compliance in the future.

Teach to the Test:

After viewing the program and studying the materials, it is expected that many users will be able to log on and pass the IS-700 final exam administered by FEMA.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. List the major goals, concepts, and principles of NIMS.
2. Describe the relevance of NIMS to public health.
3. Describe NIMS and its relationship to other elements of preparedness including the National Response Plan and the use of the Incident Command System.

Speakers provide clear guidance for bioterrorism coordinators, clinical staff and administrative personnel to be better prepared to manage psychosocial reactions of communities and individuals, and to communicate effectively internally, between response partners and with the public during radiological emergencies.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Use core principles of risk communication to focus health messages effectively in a radiological emergency.
2. Anticipate common reactions among individuals and communities to radiological events in order to plan effectively and minimize negative effects on the public’s health and well-being.
3. Identify resources available to assist public health, clinical and mental health professionals in communicating effectively with internal and external audiences during radiological events.

Presenters share research results related to mass evacuation to rural areas, practical tips to deal with mass evacuees, as well as a tool developed by the Western New York Public Health Alliance Rural Advanced Practice Center to predict community population surge following potential urban disasters.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. Recognize potential issues related to spontaneous evacuation to rural areas
2. Identify actions rural planners can take to mitigate the impact of a spontaneous evacuation
3. Utilize a tool to predict community population surge following potential urban disasters

The presenters will share results of a recent survey regarding potential behavioral responses of large populations to disaster events - including terrorist attacks - and will discuss key concerns for rural communities to consider as they plan for mass exodus from urban centers. They will also share new efforts underway by the recently funded Advanced Practice Center in western New York.

Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:

1. To identify the relationship between public health events and evacuation behavior in the general public
2. To recognize the potential scale of such an evacuation event.
3. To identify planning challenges for rural communities that might serve as receiving areas for evacuees.

This program highlights the importance of developing local preparedness initiatives to manage animal emergencies. The speaker describes the human resources potentially involved in animal emergency preparedness and response activities, and the benefits to their integration into the local emergency management system.