Recorded presentation

Kimberley Shoaf, DrPH¹, Poki Stewart Namkung, MD, MPH², Kristin Tehrani, MPH³, and Tamiza Teja, MPH¹. (1) Center for Public Health & Disasters, University of California, Los Angeles, 1145 Gayley Avenue, Suite 304, Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310-794-0840, kshoaf@ucla.edu, (2) Public Health Department, City of Berkeley, 2344 - 6th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710, (3) Berkeley City Health Department, 2344 6th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

The City of Berkeley Health Department, one of three City Health Departments in California, was selected as one of 12 pilot sites in Public Health Ready, a collaborative project of NACCHO, the CDC and Columbia University. The Berkeley Health Department worked with UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters (CPHD) as their academic partner. The project entailed a training needs assessment of the public health staff, revision of the Department’s disaster plan, training of the entire public health staff, and a full-day modified functional exercise. The City served as a pilot site for a competency-based training needs assessment that will be conducted statewide. CPHD provided consultation and review of the department’s disaster plan, and four sessions of a two-day training encompassing: the legal responsibilities of the health department in an emergency; the functional roles in ICS; the role of the health department vis-a-vis other agencies in disasters; the public health significance of various disaster events; and the potential roles of individual staff members in an emergency. At the completion of the assessment, planning and training activities, the health department participated in a full-day modified functional exercise designed, facilitated and evaluated by CPHD. The exercise helped the agency experience the roles they play in an emergency, demonstrate competencies, and evaluate the changes that have been made in their department. As this was a pilot project, there were many lessons learned by both the health department and CPHD, including the demonstrated benefit of a long-term, intensive relationship between academics and local agencies.

Learning Objectives: