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Dr. Jacqueline Scott will be retiring as the Director of BETP on March 30, 2018. Dr. Scott has lead health emergency preparedness efforts at the state since DEPR began as the Office of Public Health Preparedness in 2002.
Linda Scott, the current DEPR Director, has accepted the position as BETP Director effective February 25, 2018.
CDC’s Division of Strategic National Stockpile (DSNS) will host a webinar for public health partners on February 21, 2018 from 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM EST to share key considerations related to crisis and emergency risk communications. DSNS and CDC’s Division of Emergency Operations communication experts will describe the public’s information and communication needs before, during, and after an incident and identify potential communication opportunities and challenges specific to Strategic National Stockpile planning and response operations.
The webinar is open to all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial public health and emergency response partners. Register for the webinar via CDC TRAIN - course ID: 1075234. Interested participants must have a CDC TRAIN account. Questions regarding the webinar or about TRAIN registration should be directed to snsquestions@cdc.gov.
CDC’s RealOpt© for Point of Dispensing (POD) Training Session is scheduled for 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST on February 28, 2018. The RealOpt computer modeling system can help MCM planners design POD sites and treatment clinics. By attending this three-hour virtual instructor-led training, participants will gain a better understanding of the functions of the RealOpt computer modeling program and its usefulness in validating POD throughput rates and staff resource allocations.
CDC encourages POD managers, local and state MCM planners, and other preparedness staff to take advantage of this training opportunity by enrolling through CDC TRAIN - course ID: 1073226. Each session is limited to 15 participating sites, so interested staff (especially PHEP recipients) should register as soon as possible. An additional course is scheduled for March 20, 2018 on CDC TRAIN – course ID: 1073225.
Registered participants will receive a calendar invite two weeks prior to their selected training session with instructions for how to log in to the virtual course and for submitting RealOpt software requests.
CDC’s new Field Facts mobile application provides crucial information to use in the first few moments and hours of a response to a potential bioterrorism incident. Designed for first responders, FBI agents who work with weapons of mass destruction, and any other person who might encounter biological agents, the app describes how to recognize signs and symptoms of disease associated with eight biological agents.
- Ricin
- Botulism toxin
- Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)
- Yersinia pestis (plague)
- Francisella tularensis (tularemia, also known as rabbit fever)
- Brucella (brucellosis)
- Smallpox virus
- Burkholderia (melioidosis and glanders)
The app, for Apple and Android devices, also includes descriptions of safety measures and protective clothing to protect individuals from exposure to potential bioterrorism agents.
The Disaster Resistant Communities Group hosts an online “Just In Time Disaster Training Library”. The purpose of the library is to provide a single, easy to search source in which individuals, agencies and organizations can access informative disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery training videos.
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