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December 5, 2017

Isis ‘will use drones to spread deadly viruses’; warns EU Security Chief

Speaking at a conference in London, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU’s counterterrorism coordinator, said terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Isis will soon turn to constructing biological weapons in their own homes. Article

Flu season gets off to an early start – and may shift into high gear around the holidays

If you have been planning to get a flu shot but just haven’t gotten around to it yet, the time to act is now—especially if you hope to be healthy at Christmas. Article

2017 hurricane season ranks as costliest ever for the U.S.

This year’s U.S. Atlantic hurricane season is officially the most expensive ever, racking up $202.6 billion in damages since the formal start on June 1. The costs tailed by disaster modelers Chuck Watson and Mark Johnson surpass anything they’ve seen in previous years. Article

Advice for providers treating patients recently returning from hurricane-affected areas, including Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands

The CDC is working with federal, state, territorial and local agencies, and global health partners in response to recent hurricanes. The CDC is aware of media reports and anecdotal accounts of various infectious diseases in hurricane-affected areas, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Because of compromised drinking water and decreased access to safe water, food and shelter, the conditions and outbreaks of infectious disease exist. Article

Building a national capability to monitor and access medical countermeasure during a public health emergency: Going beyond the last mile—proceedings of a workshop

During public health emergencies involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats or emerging infectious diseases, medical countermeasures-including drugs, vaccines and devices—may need to be dispensed or administered to affected populations to help mitigate the human health impact of the threat. As part of the U.S. scientific and research preparedness enterprise, there is an imperative to go “beyond the last mile” of MCM dispensing and administration to build and maintain a national capability to monitor and assess the use of MCM’s. Article

Mass casualties preparation and response – lessons learned from Las Vegas and Orlando

The American Hospital Association hosted a recent webinar with Todd Sklamberg, HCA Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center CEO, and Mason Van Houweling, University Medical Center, CEO, both located in Las Vegas, as well as Michael Cheatham, MD, Orlando Health trauma surgeon. Each shared how their organizations train to prepare for mass casualties, potential natural disasters, and violent events, as well as lessons learned from the situations each faces. Access to the webinar replay is available, as well as other resources related to AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence Initiative.

EPA publishes two essential communication resources for radiation emergencies

At the beginning of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised and released the 2017 edition of the Protective Action Guide (PAG) Manual, which aids public officials preparing an emergency response plan for radiological outbreaks or attacks. To further assist during radiological incidents, EPA has recently published two companion documents in conjunction with the PAG Manual that additionally instruct public officials how to communicate safety information when its needed most. The semiannual National Terrorism Advisory Bulletin was released from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This bulletin system replaced the former color-coded system, and provides a summary of current threats we can expect from terrorist organizations and overview mitigation strategies.

Ongoing training opportunities:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is offering a new online course for health care professionals concerning reproductive health and emergency preparedness.
The Disaster Resistant Communities Group has more than 100 online just-in-time “training videos” to enhance emergency preparedness. Many are related to health care.
Federal and CDC COCA Partner conference and training information for the next six months.
FEMA Emergency Management Institute training opportunities – independent study courses.
Psychological First Aid for Leaders (PFA-L) Training – this interactive, online training has broad utility for response and health care partners, as well as those in existing leadership roles. The training takes about 90 minutes to complete.
Public Health Nursing Disaster Surge Course is based upon 25 public health nursing (PHN) competencies for disaster surge and is intended to provide participants with a comprehensive view of PHN surge from preparedness to response to recovery. There is no cost for this course.
Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) training for health care workers. The nationwide SAR Initiative (NSI) recently released the new online training module, Public Health and Health Care Partners, developed to teach workers to recognize suspicious behavior associated with pre-incident terrorist activities. The training also discusses civil rights, privacy, and how and when to report suspicious activity. NSI also offers a two-page PDF resource Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) for Public Health and Health Care Partners. This training module could easily be added to any in-house training for new employees or yearly refresher training for established personnel.
Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS®) webinar – February 1, 2018. More information

Follow NHA Emergency Preparedness News on Twitter

Follow us on Twitter to obtain updates on the latest information related to preparedness, readiness and other related issues. @NHA_EPNEWS

Nebraska Hospital Association

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3255 Salt Creek Circle Suite 100 | Lincoln, NE 68504 US

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