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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

James E. Morrison, RN, BSN and Morteza K. Mazloomi, RN, MSN. Acute Communicable Disease Control, Bioterrorism Unit, Los Angeles County Dept. of Health Services, Public Health, 313 N. Figueroa St., Room 222, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-989-7208, jmorrison@ladhs.org

The public health nurse (PHN) enhances Los Angeles County Public Health's ability to respond to bioterrorism and other emergencies through consultation, coordination, and training services to health professionals, law enforcement, government officials, and community agencies. The public health nurse integrates disease surveillance into a regional terrorism intelligence center by providing accurate disease information, and ongoing analysis of all threats including biological terrorism. The PHN ensures integration of the public health discipline into law enforcement investigations by providing estimates of possible cases, populations at risk, and potential deaths, as well as information on management of outbreaks such as prophylaxis, treatment, and quarantine. According to Healthy People 2010, two of the leading health indicators are injury and violence, and mental health. Biological terrorism and its physical, mental, behavioral, and economic consequences have impacted the health of the public in the following ways.

• Lingering psychological and health complications found in the surviving victims and responders of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.

• Communities, businesses, and populations at risk for bioterrorism attacks.

• Vulnerable infrastructure (hospital, clinics, transportation sector) critical to economic strength and well-being of communities.

• Diversion of financial resources into disaster preparedness and anti-terrorism initiatives.

The PHN functions as an intelligence analyst by researching and studying known terrorist groups in order to assess their ability to develop and deploy biological and chemical weapons. The PHN currently possesses a Department of Justice security clearance that assists the PHN with the collection and assessment of terrorist threat information that is generally unavailable to most public health practitioners. The majority of the information that is gathered to conduct this intelligence analysis is through the monitoring and assessing open media sources, law enforcement bulletins and non-classified disease intelligence sources. Due to the education and experience inherent to the public health profession, the PHN is asked to participate in the planning and coordination of public health bioterrorism and emergency preparedness drills and exercises, ongoing response protocol development, and the development of after action reports that facilitate the synchronization of public health and public safety responses to terrorist attacks.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the new role of the public health nurse in terrorism intelligence.
• Describe the collaboration between public health, law enforcement and the fire service.
• Identify the Healthy People 2010 health indicators that the public health nurse addresses.

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Public Health Nursing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.pdf format, 543.5 kb)