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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Joy Spellman, MSN RN, Center for Public Health Preparedness, Burlington County (NJ) College, 3331 Route 38 - TEC201, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, 856-222-9311 xt 2085, jspellma@bcc.edu, Lorraine Ogden, Institutional Advancement, Lehigh Carbon Community College, 4525 Education Park Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078-2598, Daniel Boatright, PhD, College of Public Health, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 NE 13th ST, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, OK 73104, Shari Clifton, Robert M. Bird Health Sciences Library, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190-3046, Johnny McMoy, MBA, Institutional Advancement, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, 2602 College Drive, Phenix City, AL 36869, and Maurine Goodman, MA, MPH, Division of State and Local Readiness, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS MS-D29, Atlanta, GA 30333.

As stated by the American Association of Community Colleges, “Community colleges represent the largest, fastest growing sector of higher education, currently educating the majority of the nation's “first-responders.” Over half of new nurses and close to eight-five percent of law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMT's are credentialed by the colleges. In addition, the colleges are rapidly establishing or expanding programs to prepare professionals in related fields.” Additionally, sixty five percent of new healthcare workers receive entry level training at community colleges.

The 1,157 Community Colleges across the United States are sensitive to local community preparedness needs and perform an increasingly critical role in preparedness oriented education and training. Community colleges are well recognized community partner with advisory boards comprised of local community leaders, educators, business and industry, and others with a vested interest in public health preparedness, response and related issues.

Consequently, it is imperative to include community colleges in efforts to enhance and sustain effective local level public health preparedness education and training. This presentation illustrates successful efforts to incorporate community colleges and other key organizational partners in achieving this goal. Specifically, examples of linkages, partnerships and project activities from CDC funded Centers for Public Health Preparedness working with largely unrecognized partners have led to innovative, cost effective practices that clearly demonstrate the value-added role of community colleges working as a full partner in the process.

Learning Objectives: