Recorded presentation

Rebecca A Head, PhD, DABT, Director, Public Health Preparedness, Washtenaw County Public Health, PO Box 0915, WC PH, 555 Towner, Rm 288, Ypsilanti, MI 48197-0915, 734-544-6759, headr@ewashtenaw.org, Bruce Lippy, DrPH, Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training, Suite 610, 1250 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202-331-0060, blippy@michaeldbaker.com, Glenn Paulson, DrPH, Director of Public Health Preparedness, UMDNJ School of Public Health, 317 George St, Suite 203, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2008, 732-235-9773, paulsogl@umdnj.edu, and Joseph T. Hughes, MPH, DERT/WETB, NIEHS/NIH/DHHS, PO Box 12233, MD EC-25, Durham, NC 27709, 919-541-0217, hughes3@niehs.nih.gov.

The role of public health workers have increased, broadening into an 'all-hazards' approach, involving an active role in both man-made and natural disasters. This increased role brings challenges that the public health community must address through increased education and training, as well as improved communication and collaboration with and among local, regional, and state organizations, local hospitals, and the community. National, regional and local partnerships and mutual aid agreements, as well as joint exercises and training greatly help to leverage available resources, raise awareness, and expand the number of workers with access to current health and safety training opportunities. Training the health care workforce is complicated in part because it is a large, diverse workforce with many different professions and types of workers. The Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH/DHHS) has developed numerous models for curricula development, training delivery, and program evaluation to support public health preparedness efforts at the local level. Key to the success of these efforts is the development of local training partnerships between hazmat emergency responders, environmental cleanup workers, and safety and health professionals. The goal of the this panel will be to provide guidance in developing local training partnerships for developing health and safety training programs for all-hazards disaster preparedness.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand environmental & occupational risks to disaster response workers;
• Determine appropriate training resources for public health preparedness;
• Recognize characteristics of good training partnerships involving local, state and national groups;

Keywords: Environmental Health Hazards, Hazardous Waste Workers

Related Web page: www.wetp.org/wetp/docs/awardee_mtgs/spring02/WMDreport.pdf

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation