More Info on OK's Readiness

source: NewsOK.com

by Jeff Raymond, Staff Writer

Oklahoma has sustained disaster readiness but falls short in protecting healthcare providers from being sued and in the number of elderly who receive flu vaccines, according to a national report released Tuesday that measures states' public-health preparedness.

In its fifth-annual report, “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism – 2007,” Washington-based Trust for America’s Health found states have made significant progress but gaps remain.

Click HERE for the full article.

Some States Not Planning for Flu Season

(source: Excite News)
By KEVIN FREKING, Assoc. Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven states have yet to participate in a federal program to buy antivirals for a potential influenza pandemic. Thirteen states do not have adequate plans to distribute vaccines and medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile.

Those findings and others are part of a new report on how well states have prepared for public health emergencies. The report concluded that states have made significant progress since the terrorist and anthrax attacks in 2001. However, critical gaps remain.

Seven states performed adequately in each of the 10 categories that were measured, which earned them a score of 10 from the Trust for America's Health, a research group. The top scores went to Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
The states that got the lowest score were Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The federal government has had a difficult time measuring progress when it comes to the billions of dollars it has sent states over the past six years to improve preparedness. The money went to upgrade laboratories, buy medical supplies and conduct training exercises.

The Bush administration has encouraged states to stock up on antivirals in the event of an influenza pandemic. Under one program, the federal government will pay for a quarter of the cost of buying Tamiflu or Relenza, and states pay the remainder for a combined investment of about $680 million. Antivirals reduce the severity of influenza.

Seven states have so far declined to purchase any antivirals, according to the report: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Dakota and Rhode Island. Several more have bought only a fraction of what they're entitled to under the federal program.

"If a significant number of states don't pick up their share of responsibility, then the country as a whole is less protected," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said that states have until June 2008 to get their orders in. All states, have told the federal government they plan on participating, he said. However, many have only ordered part of the medicine that's available to them.

"States that are not buying the full amount of antivirals we have allocated under this program are putting their own citizen at risk," said HHS Spokesman Bill Hall.

The report also highlighted the need for nearly half the states to update their "Good Samaritan" laws. Such laws create liability shields for those who come to the aid of another at the scene of an emergency. The trust said states need shield laws that can cover days or even weeks of voluntary work, such as a shield law tied to a declared emergency by a governor.

The report also warned that a decrease in federal funding could offset many of the improvements that states have made since 2001.

Among the other categories measured, the report said
- Flu vaccination rates for the elderly dropped in 11 states.
- Six states cut their public health department budgets last year.
- All 50 states and the District of Columbia held emergency drills with their health department and state National Guard.
- Twenty-one states do not have key liability protections for health care volunteers who respond to emergencies.

On the Net: Trust for America's Health: http://healthyamericans.org/

New MRSA Article in PHR

contributed by Paul Woodson, Ph.D.

January/February 2008 Issue of PHR Features Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Practice Article

"A Model for Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus," by authors Ms. Hannah Simons and Dr. Philip Alcabes appears in the "Practice Articles" section of the first 2008 issue of Public Health Reports. The article addresses methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a community pathogen and attempts to distinguish the differences between community-associated and hospital-associated MRSA strains. Some of these differences include distinct methicillin resistance genes and genetic backgrounds and differing susceptibilities to antibiotics. The best methods for population-level detection and containment of these strains have not yet been established.

Find out more HERE.

MRSA - Info You Need

by Michael Sheyahshe, IDS

Dr. Ronald Greenfield provides important information about MRSA and how to defend against it. The CDC has additional information, which you can find here.

Dr. Ronald Greenfield is a Professor of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chief of the Infectious Diseases Section at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, College of Public Health, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Dr. Greenfield graduated from SUNY, State University of New York, with a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1977 and received a Master of Science degree in Biostatistics in 1993 from the University of Oklahoma, College of Public Health. He also received a Bachelor of Science cum laude and with Distinction in Psychology from Ohio State University in 1972. He did his Internship and Residency in Medicine and a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Wisconsin with a completion date of 1980.

Dr. Greenfield is a nationally recognized expert in antimicrobial therapy, HIV/AIDS, and Bioterrorism. He is a highly sought after speaker for local and national speaking engagements. He also holds other administrative positions in addition to his title of Section Chief of Infectious Diseases. He is well published in national medical journals. His principal interests are treatment of HIV/AIDS infection, opportunistic infections, medical mycology, and cryptosporidiosis.

MRSA INFO: CDC Features - Q&A about Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

by Paul Woodson, Ph.D.

Answers to commonly asked questions about preventing the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus skin infections.
CDC, along with parents and school officials, wants to do everything possible to protect students from MRSA skin infections. These are commonly asked questions that will help parents and school officials prevent the spread of MRSA in schools.
CDC Features - Q&A about Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Schools

Are You Ready? Find out your personal Readiness Quotient!

In recent years, the American people have been urged to “get ready” and to prepare for emergencies—from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. But no one has ever given the public a simple, comprehensive and consistent tool to actually measure how prepared they are. No one has ever provided communities and the nation as a whole with a practical “gauge” to assess their preparedness, recognize their successes, and identify gaps where more work needs to be done. Until now.
The Public Readiness Index (PRI) is a first-of-its kind tool for individuals, families and communities to determine and evaluate their readiness. See how you stack up against the national average and learn specific steps you can take to better prepare yourself and your family, as well as things you can do to encourage your community, schools, and workplace to be better prepared.

Click the link below to to find out your Readiness Quotient:
http://www.whatsyourrq.org/survey.htm

DHS: More Than 1,700 Organizations to Participate in Fourth Annual Homeland Security National Preparedness Month

DHS: More Than 1,700 Organizations to Participate in Fourth Annual Homeland Security National Preparedness Month

From The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on National Preparedness Month 2007

For the first time, National Preparedness Month is focusing on different areas of emergency preparedness.

• September 1-8: Back-to-School (Ready Kids)
• September 9-15: Business preparedness(Ready Business)
• September 16-22: Multicultural preparedness(Listo)
• September 23-30: Home and family preparedness, including pets, older Americans and individuals with disabilities and special needs (Ready America)

Click here for more information.

NORAD Discussions

by Daniel Boatright, Ph.D.

In the fall of 2006, the SWCPHP was invited to participate in discussions with U.S. Northern Command, NORAD, regarding the potential role of the Centers for Public Health Preparedness in collaborating with NORTHCOM/NORAD in enhancing public health preparedness and readiness relative to issues such as pandemic influenza and other public health disasters. Dr Daniel Boatright, Director of the SWCPHP has subsequently participated in a number of NORTHCOM/NORAD conferences and events, most recently presenting in and completing the Homeland Defense Medical Executive at the request of the Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute. Pandemic Influenza planning and preparedness is a key area of concern for NORTHCOM/NORAD as well as other catastrophic events that could require Department of Defense involvement in support of state and local entities.

For more information on the Center's role in this and other events, please view the SWCPHP website.

Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) @ SWCPHP

by Tracey Burton, Instructional Coordinator

On August 21st and 22nd, 2007 the Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness hosted 4 Radiological Assistance Program sessions, at the Center offices in Oklahoma City. The training, developed and delivered by the Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), provides education to help prepare fire and police personnel, emergency and first responders, public health administration and support staff to respond to radiological events and/or exposure.
It addresses such topics as Radiation Basics and Concepts, Radiological/Nuclear Devices, Methods to Protect Against Exposure to Radiation, Common Commercial Sources of Radiation, Exposure Limits, Types of Radiological Hazards, and Biological Effects of Radiation. More than 50 individuals from around the State were in attendance.
Click HERE for more information on the Radiological Assistance Program.

ITEMC Meeting at SWCPHP

by Tracey Burton, Instructional Coordinator

On August 16th, 2007 Kaw Nation hosted their monthly Intertribal Emergency Management Coalition (ITEMC) gathering to discuss pandemic flu plans, disaster declarations, RHINO and upcoming ICS training. Allan Harder, Linda Soos, Julie Alvarez and Tamara Copeland addressed the group which gathered for the day long meeting at the Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness in Oklahoma City.

For more information on ITEMC, contact Gary Robison, Emergency Manager - Kaw Nation at 580-362-1232 or by email at info@itemc.org.

SWCPHP Podcast Series - redux

SWCPHP has re-launched our podcast feed. The new subscription feed has been posted on several online podcast directory sites.

Please follow the instructions below to subscribe to our episodes.

1. Launch iTunes.
2. In the Advanced menu, select Subscribe to Podcast.
3. Enter the following URL in the text box: http://www.swcphp.ouhsc.edu/podcast/subscribe.xml
4. Click OK.

iTunes displays your Podcast playlist, which shows all of the podcasts to which you have subscribed. Next to the new podcast subscription, you should see an orange circle, which indicates that iTunes is downloading your most recent episode. When the orange circle disappears, you should be able to see your podcast title, a list of all the episodes referenced in your feed, and a check next to the most recent episode, indicating that it has been successfully downloaded. Double-click on the episode to play it in iTunes.

If the orange circle is replaced by an "i" in a black circle, iTunes encountered a problem with your feed or episode. Please refer to http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcastsfaq.html for more information, should you encounter technical issues.

SWCPHP and OK Career Techs

by Tracey Burton, Instructional Coordinator

The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness and Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education have partnered together in order to deliver quality all-hazards preparedness training, free of charge, to students from various backgrounds including health care providers, high school and college students, business and industry personnel, and the general public.
Using Career Tech’s eLearning Courseware, the Southwest Center is able to provide life-long learning opportunities to students from all walks of life, and specifically to the public health workforce to better prepare for times of crisis.
Please visit our website and check out our current courses at http://www.swcphp.ouhsc.edu/.

SWCPHP Joins in with LANL's HazMat Challenge

by Paul Woodson, Ph.D.
SWCPHP Administrator

July 30 through August 3, 2007 The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness sponsored the Midwest City, Moore, and Norman Fire Departments to compete in the 11th Annual Los Alamos National Laboratories HazMat Challenge in New Mexico. This is the fourth year SWCPHP has had Oklahoma representation at the challenge.

There were thirteen participants this year with the following honors for Oklahoma particpants:

• Midwest City won first place in the technical division and first place in overall performance
• Moore claimed second place in the technical events and seventh in the overall competition
• Norman placed fourth in the technical events and sixth in the overall competition

This was the first year since the challenge was begun that one team (Midwest City) won both first place awards in the same year.

Dr. Paul Woodson, SWCPHP Center Administrator was on-site and assisted LANL personnel as an evaluator at one of the challenge scenario events. The national recognized and unique setting at LANL has multiple exercise scenarios with leaking railcars, clandestine laboratory mock-ups, wrecked semi-transports, confined space facilities, hazardous valve tree leak mock-ups, conditions with chemical, biological, and/or radiological exposure conditions, and many other actual situations that utilize real life-sized props each requiring HazMat responders to function in level A personal protective equipment suits in timed and critical evaluated assignments.

Click HERE for more information about LANL's HazMat Challenge.

CO Division of Mental Health

by Curt H Drennen, PsyD, RN
Mental Health Disaster Response Coordinator
Colorado Behavioral Health Services

The Colorado Division of Mental Health was activated by the Colorado Division of Emergency Management to be on site at the former Lowery Air Force Base to provide behavioral health support to the evacuees and the responders providing medical, housing and individual services. As we activated our efforts, several other agencies were activating theirs as well, including the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross, Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance and several faith based and professional organizations.

At one point in time, we had approximately four volunteers for every evacuee. It is events like this that highlight our need to develop an over-arching structure to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of our response efforts. We have a broad range of resources and when the community is in need, there is no limit to those who come to lend a hand. Unfortunately, we have often had systems that were at odds with each other, having different philosophies, different organizational structures, different intervention technologies and different expectations of who should be doing what, when and where. These differences negatively affect our ability to achieve our goal of supporting those impacted by trauma.

The Colorado Division of Mental Health’s Disaster Response and Planning Workgroup began hosting the Mental Health Disaster Response Planning Council in order to address these issues. A group of 65 professionals from across the state had our first meeting on December 19, 2006 at Four Mile Historic Park in Denver Colorado. This group committed to come together every other month for the next 6 to 9 months to develop a working structure for behavioral health disaster response. Initial work included developing 6 sub committees (Command, Training and Credentialing, Communications, Resource Development, Response Team Development, and Deployment/Response Protocols).

We expect that there will be some difficulty with this process and yet we expect the outcomes of this process will result in stronger working relationships across response agencies and organizations, greater trust and improved effectiveness in the field. We identified our vision as “An inclusive, collaborative and cooperative model of mental health disaster response” with the following five goals:

1. Identification of missing partners with the purpose of including them in the process,
2. Adoption and adaptation of the Incident Command System for behavioral health response,
3. Development of true partnerships across agencies throughout the system for behavioral health disaster response, including formal Memorandums of Understanding and Mutual Aid Agreements,
4. Development of communication systems that are inclusive and redundant, and
5. Development of a protocol document that can be utilized by the larger system as well as a template for regional, county and city/town partnerships for behavioral health disaster response.

While we have a long way to go to achieve our goals, we expect that this effort will pay dividends for years to come. The results of this effort should be greater collaboration and cooperation, more effective deployments that utilize our human resources effectively and efficiently, and a greater sense of community between disaster events. Stay tuned. I hope to be able to report our areas of progress in a few months.

VOAD

The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness partners will gather in New Mexico April 18 to attend the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters Annual Conference.
Click here to learn more.

ICCTC at OUHSC

The Indian Country Child Trauma Center (ICCTC), at OUHSC is part of the Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) that is funded by SAMHSA, with the specific goal of developing culturally relevant trauma intervention models and materials for use with American Indian and Alaskan Native children exposed to trauma.
Click here to find out more.

Volunteer Training in NM

In conjunction with the Albuquerque Medical Reserve Corps, our SWCPHP partners in New Mexico have completed several training events for volunteers.
Click here for more information.

New Mexico Answers the Call

Our SWCPHP partners in New Mexico have just completed the long-awaited 2007 update to the core emergency preparedness training for healthcare and public health professionals.

This four-hour course, entitled Answering the Call: Health and Medical Emergency Preparedness and Response in New Mexico, provides an awareness-level overview of the emergency response elements unique to New Mexico. The curriculum also provides basic information about the federal response system, incident management, risk communication, and threat awareness. To learn more about this course, or to schedule a course in your community or agency, please contact Leslie at 505-272-6272 or LScarborough@salud.unm.edu. Or you can visit the website for the UNM Center for Disaster Medicine at http://hsc.unm.edu/som/cdm.

Pandemic Influenza Information

Did you know? SWCPHP now has a website devoted to Pandemic Influenza.
Click here to view the Pan Flu website.

Psychological First Aid

Dr. Betty Pfefferbaum discusses the importance of psychological first aid and the compassion that is required in order to assist individuals experiencing psychological distress in times of disaster. Fortunately, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD have recently developed manuals to aid mental health professionals and other response workers in establishing early connections with distraught survivors.
See the full text here.

Learning from Katrina

by Brenda L. Elledge, Dr. P.H.
Spring 2006

In response to a call from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, the SWCPHP departed for Houston on September 7th with an environmental health response team, led by Dr. Daniel Boatright, to assist with the Hurricane Katrina response. Team members included Drs. Brenda Elledge and Rod Clinkenbeard of the Department of Occupational & Environmental Health and Dr. Paul Woodson of the Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness. Dr. Robert Vincent joined the team on September 10.

In Brief
Following the hurricane, more than 200,000 were displaced to evacuation centers in at least 18 states. Thousands of displaced citizens of New Orleans and surrounding areas were relocated to Houston, with temporary placement at the Reliant Center.

Our Part
The SWCPHP team supported our UTHSC colleagues in their efforts to deal with prevalent environmental health issues. Upon arrival, approximately 25,000 citizens were housed in three separate facilities within the Reliant Center.

Team Work
The SWCPHP joined several other teams in performing thousands of health assessments every evening using a one page rapid assessment tally form. The information gathered was used to help identify communicable disease signs and syndromes and expedite care for those in need.

Observations
The team observed volunteers engaging in numerous risky behaviors that not only contributed to the possible spread of infection, but also increased personal risk of exposure.

Discussion
At the 2006 OPHA pre-conference, the SWCPHP will discuss the educational and training curricula with public health leaders, volunteer leaders, volunteers and emergency responders. Following this, materials will be developed and made available for dissemination.

Potential Pitfalls
As a part of our effort, the SWCPHP team observed a number of public health issues that inevitably occur when evacuees are placed in this type of situation. A few to mention include over-crowding, bright environment, noise, sleep deprivation, poor diet, spread of infectious diseases, lack of hygienic practices, lack of facilities conducive to good hygiene, a reluctance to seek medical care and poor support for special populations.

Points
As an element of our response, several lessons were learned. While many are obvious--such as providing a strong ICS, extra support for special populations, better waste disposal, increased security, adequate staffing and services to provide for the needs of entire populations--one of the most important lessons recognised was the need for volunteers to have training in fundamental public health tenants, especially basic environmental sanitation.

Synthesis
The SWCPHP is in the process of describing educational and training curricula that may be presented to volunteer organizations and interested parties, along with dissemination techniques and strategies to enhance not only response effectiveness and efficiency, but to reduce the risk of exposure to volunteers.

NM Partner Sits Down with OK Vets

by Laura Banks, DVM, MPH, UNM Center for Disaster Medicine
Spring 2006

Dr. Laura Banks from the New Mexico regional partner program joined Dr. Paul Woodson in a visit to the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association’s annual conference in Tulsa in January. They addressed the lunch-time meeting of the OVMA Board of Directors to explain the SWCPHP mission, and to offer suggestions for veterinary training in emergency preparedness and public health.

DC NACCHO Conference

by Paul Woodson, Ph.D.
Spring 2006

The SWCPHP, in association with the Association for Schools of Public Health (ASPH), provided an exhibitor’s booth at the 2006 Local, State, and Federal Public Health Preparedness Summit in Washington, DC, February 22-24, 2006, which provided visitors with education & training materials from past and current presentations. The exhibition, located in the Concourse Level of the Washington Hilton Hotel (a.k.a the “Resource Rodeo”) yielded excellent networking opportunities for all who attended. Inquiries & interest in our website, which developed and sustained throughout the sessions, indicate that the SWCPHP has excelled on many levels. The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), ASPH, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and various private vendors provided support for a variety of Sharing Sessions & Learning Labs for the five SWCPHP attendees, all with public health preparedness as the focus point.

ARE YOU READY?

by Ronnie Warren, Director, Oklahoma City Office of Emergency Management
Spring 2006

This is a question that emergency managers are asking their citizens everyday. When it comes to disaster preparedness, the responsibility begins with the citizen. Don’t depend on your local first responders to get to you in record time. As first responders are responding to the most heavily damaged area, those less affected could be waiting for long periods of time. Why wait when you, a “citizen responder,” could be helping out in your neighborhood, or even volunteering on a citizen’s response team?
One of the best training programs for citizens is the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Citizen Corps Program, CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). Most emergency managers who are active in community response programs and education offer this training. This training teaches you how to conduct search and rescue, first aid, triage, and many other useful skills needed during a disaster. For more information go to http://www.citizencorps.gov/programs/cert.shtm and contact your local emergency manager.

Masters Track at OUHSC

by David L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Spring 2006

Get an MPH in Preparedness and Terrorism
The College of Public Health, with CDC sponsorship, offers a curriculum leading to the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Public Health Preparedness and Terrorism. This 44-semester hour degree program provides core knowledge and skills in public health practice as well as specialty knowledge and skills related to public health preparedness for natural disasters (e.g. floods, tornados, and earthquakes), technological disasters (e.g. accidental chemical spills and intentional acts of terrorism), and emerging infectious diseases (e.g. SARS). It also provides an opportunity for those individuals with a professional degree in health care or health service to enhance their ability to participate in coordinated responses to disasters and emerging infectious diseases as an integral part of the Incident Command System.
The curriculum consists of: (1) introductory courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, health promotion sciences, and health administration and policy, (2) specialty courses in emerging infectious diseases and terrorism, epidemiology of infectious diseases, mental health and psychological aspects of terrorism, policy and legal aspects of terrorism, risk communication, and current topics in preparedness, and (3) elective courses that allow greater depth in desired areas. A practicum provides a structured field practice experience under the guidance of a preceptor.
For more information please visit the OUHSC College of Public Health’s website at: http://www.coph.ouhsc.edu/coph/degrees/degree-mph.asp

Oklahoma Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition

by Vicki Tall Chief, Ed.D
Spring 2006

The Inter Tribal Emergency Management Coalition was developed in December 2004 to address the implications regarding the local, state and national all-hazards preparedness planning process in Oklahoma, home to 39 federally recognised Native American tribes.
The Coalition is comprised of Tribal Emergency Management agencies’ as well as other emergency response agencies, who share information and ideas on improving emergency response for member tribes. Participants include representatives from over 22 Oklahoma tribes and representatives from the Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, and Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
In order to address preparedness needs, the Southwest Center has developed workshops specifically for tribal employees on a variety of topics which include Preparedness for Nurses in Tribal and IHS clinics, Tribal, IHS and Public Health Emergency Preparedness Training, Emergency Risk Communication, FEMA E580 and FEMA Mitigation for Tribal Officials. The Coalition hosts a website that lists upcoming meetings, trainings and other news and events. For additional information about the coalition, contact Gary Robison, Emergency Manager, Kaw Nation, Drawer 50, Kaw City, OK 74641; phone: 580-362-1232; email: kawemgy@yahoo.com; website: http://www.itemc.org

An Introduction from Daniel Boatright, Ph.D.

The Southwest Center for Public Health Preparedness is pleased to debut our online news section, SWCPHP News / Events. We hope to provide timely and insightful information to our colleagues, partners, and all interested parties about Center activities and events. In addition, articles on timely preparedness issues will be presented by our faculty, staff and partners from across the Southwest region and from around the country.
The Southwest Center can only be as successful in performing its mission to assist in preparing the public health workforce from an all hazards perspective to respond more effectively in times of crisis through being an effective member of the larger team that includes the entire range of agencies, organizations and institutions engaged in these critical education and training activities. Our sensitivity to being a team player is exceeded only by the strong desire to contribute to the overall national goal of continual improvement in areas of preparedness and response.
We are grateful to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that funds the activities of the Southwest Center throughout Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma; we appreciate the coordination and support provided by the Association of Schools of Public Health as we execute our mission. We invite our readers to contribute abstracts for articles, areas of interest to serve as points of discussion, and to provide feedback on the usefulness of this venture.
Daniel T. Boatright, Director