Jane V.E. Richter, DrPH, RN¹, Charlotte Toole, MSPH¹, and Lu Anne Ellison, MPH, CHES². (1) Center for Public Health Preparedness, University of South Carolina, 1233 Washington Street, Suite 700, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-978-7575, richtejv@gwm.sc.edu, (2) Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of South Carolina School of Public Health, Health Sciences Building Rm 215, Columbia, SC 29208

This session will describe the development of the innovative Academy for Public Health Emergency Preparedness, a curriculum based on pre-existing courses (e.g., NACCHO’s Incident Management System, CDC’s Forensic Epidemiology) culminating in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of local public health-driven tabletop exercises. The Academy utilized a team model, which required local health department personnel to invite community partners to form district teams. The Academy consisted of three sessions held in Columbia, SC, over a period of six months. During and between these sessions, scholars worked within their teams. Grounded in the Core Emergency Preparedness Competencies for All Public Health Workers (Columbia University, 2002), the curriculum was presented through lectures, group activities, case studies, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of a community-based tabletop exercise. The Academy avoids duplication by utilizing existing curricula while assisting the local public health practitioners in accomplishing required preparedness activities, which ultimately results in a stronger, better prepared public health workforce.

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