Central United States Earthquake Consortium And CDC To Host Post-Earthquake Public Health And Medical Issues Course In Arkansas

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 04 Jan 2009 - 0:00 PST

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On February 4, 2009, the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is presenting a one-day class titled "Disaster Medicine 101: Post-Earthquake Public Health and Medical Issues in the New Madrid Seismic Zone" at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) Auditorium. The class will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude around 4:00 p.m. The class is being offered in conjunction with Arkansas' Earthquake Awareness Week sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

The class will present a big-picture overview of public health concepts related to the earthquake threat in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. It is open to first responders, medical professionals, public health officials, emergency managers, and others concerned with public health issues following an earthquake. The instructors are recognized experts from the federal, state, and local levels of government. Topics for the class include:

-- The New Madrid Earthquake Threat and the Effects on Key Infrastructure
-- Rapid Assessments and Disease Surveillance Activities during a Major Disaster
-- Role of the Environmental Health Specialist during a Disaster
-- Earthquake Disaster-Related Injuries and Injury Prevention
-- Disaster Mental Health Consequences: Protecting the Responders

All who are interested in attending the class in Little Rock or via the videoconferencing sites are to register through the ADH learning management system known as A-TRAIN at https://ar.train.org. The Course ID number is 1015426. If you do not have an A-TRAIN account, you can create one by clicking on "Create Account." To register, please select the site you will be attending. If you plan on attending at a hospital site that is not listed, please register for the Arkansas Hospital Association site.

The class size in ADH's auditorium is limited to 100, and all registrations will be taken online on a first-come, first-served basis. The class will also be available on a limited basis via videoconferencing by IP to the CUSEC member-states' public health agencies. The course is part of an ongoing effort to address catastrophic planning issues related to the earthquake threat in the Central U.S. This is the third presentation of the course. CUSEC and CDC are also working on a course called "Disaster Medicine 201," addressing medical issues following an earthquake, with the pilot to be presented in Memphis this spring.

Charter Members Alabama • Arkansas • Illinois • Indiana • Kentucky • Mississippi • Missouri • Tennessee

Associate Members Georgia • Iowa • Louisiana • Nebraska • North Carolina • Ohio • Oklahoma • South Carolina • Virginia

http://www.healthyarkansas.com