The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Session: Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Are We Prepared to Protect Public Health?
4027.0: Tuesday, November 12, 2002: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Oral
Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Are We Prepared to Protect Public Health?
After years of decrying the lack of investment in our public health infrastructure, at last a national discussion has emerged on the critical role of public health systems in protecting this nation. But it comes with a new twist--the ability to respond to chemical and biological terrorism. This ambitious session will attempt to: 1) outline the current state of capacity of the nation's local health departments to meet this new challenge; 2) offer models for assessing readiness and developing effective emergency response plans; and 3) explore lessons learned in testing out local, state and national emergency preparedness plans in responding to suspected chemical and biological terrorism. Equally important, presenters will discuss how to use this national attention and support to improve the basic capacity of our public health systems to effectively address the more "mundane" issues of public health.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, particpants will be able to: (1) outline the current state of capacity of the nation's local health departments to meet this new challenge; (2) identify models for assessing readiness and developing effective emergency response plans; (3) explore lessons learned in testing out local, state and national emergency preparedness plans in responding to suspected chemical and biological terrorism; and (4) understand how to use this national attention and support to improve the basic capacity of our public health systems to effectively address the more "mundane" issues of public health.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organizer(s):Heidi Klein
Leyla Erk McCurdy, MPhil
Allen Dearry, PhD
Presider(s):Heidi Klein
8:30 AMWithdrawn -- Assessment of local bioterrorism and emergency preparedness
Zarnaaz Rauf, MPH, Anjum Hajat, MPH, Carol Brown, MS
8:38 AMAnalytical Framework for Developing a Response Plan to Bioterrorism and Evaluating Performance
Kathleen Cunningham, PhD, Douglas McDonald, PhD
8:53 AMWhat happens after a chemical terrorism incident?
William C. Bress, PhD, Lawrence G. Crist, JD, BA, Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH
9:08 AMBioterrorism: Public health lessons from anthrax
Stephen S. Morse, PhD
9:23 AMDesigning and Developing a Bioterrorism Surveillance System
Tripthi M. Mathew, MD, MPH
9:38 AMLocal centers for public health preparedness: Models for strengthening public health capacity
Suela Kaba, MD, MPH, Zarnaaz Rauf, MPH
9:45 AMCommunity response and testing of the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile in a metropolitan area
William A. Wetter, MS, EMT-Paramed, Michael J. Silvers, DO, MPH, Kraig E. Humbaugh, MD, MPH
Organized by:Environment
Endorsed by:Epidemiology
CE Credits:CME, Environmental Health, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA