Preparedness

Medical Reserve Corps | Bioterrorism | Pandemic Flu

Natural or man-made hazards that affect a community occur in many forms. Natural hazards include tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and inclement weather, while man-made hazards include terrorism. All disasters create dynamic, changing environments. While it is virtually impossible to anticipate every possible disaster, it is extremely important that the agency staff, emergency responders, and board of health prepare responses to as many imagined events as possible. Should an event occur, each participant will have a clearly defined role in the response. For local board of health members, this means that not only are they responsible for ensuring the creation of a response plan, but that they also know their roles and are informed about various public health threats to their communities.

To assist local board of health members in learning about their function in emergency preparedness, NALBOH is here to provide technical support to increase health professionals’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities in community preparedness efforts.

Did You Know...

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases,

Disasters, and Bioterrorism

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the sixth annual "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism" report, which finds that progress made to better protect the country from disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and bioterrorism is now at risk, due to budget cuts and the economic crisis. In addition, the report concludes that major gaps remain in many critical areas of preparedness, including surge capacity, rapid disease detection, and food safety. To view the full report (PDF), please click here.

New Preparedness Manual From the World Health Organization

This month, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new manual entitled, "Manual for the Health Care of Children in Humanitarian Emergencies." The objective of this publication is to provide comprehensive guidance on child care in emergencies. This manual also includes the initial management of severe conditions. It was also realized that existing manuals do not cover injuries, burns, neonatal illness, psychosocial problems, etc., which are considered of high priority in emergency settings. These are addressed in this manual, as well as issues on mental health, psychosocial support, and common preventive interventions such as immunization. Please click here for more information.

In the News

New! Report Finds Economic Crisis Hurting U.S. Preparedness for Health Emergencies

New Report Describes 6 Years of Achievement in Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Director of DHS' Ready Campaign Urges Gulf Coast Residents to Prepare for Gustav

CDC Investigates Outbreak of Infections Caused by Salmonella Saintpaul

Mark Your Calendars!

February 18-20, 2009: 2009 Public Health Preparedness Summit-

San Diego, CA. www.phprep.org/2009

Training Opportunities:

North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness- Training Web Site

This innovative site offers free, Internet-based trainings that cover an array of public health preparedness topics, such as bioterrorism, disease surveillance, mental health issues, and management and leadership.

http://nccphp.sph.unc.edu/training/

CDC Epidemiologic Case Studies

These interactive exercises were developed to teach epidemiologic principles and practices. Based on real-life outbreaks and public health problems, these exercises require students to apply critical thinking skills to problems confronted by public health practitioners at the local, state, and national level everyday.

http://www2a.cdc.gov/epicasestudies/dwnload_case.htm

Alabama Public Health Training Network

This catalog of downloadable webcasts covers a wide range of preparedness topics, brought to you by the Alabama Department of Public Health.

http://www.adph.org/ALPHTN/default.asp

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For questions or more information about NALBOH's emergency preparedness program, please contact Sarah Henry.