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In
This Issue:
- H1N1
Video - Social Distancing
- New
Online Courses
- MPH
Degree and DrPH Degree Programs
-
Leadership Communication Certificate Program
H1N1 and
Social Distancing - What it All Means
People have heard a lot of reports about H1N1 in recent months
without being given practical information that can be applied to
everyday activities. The South Central Center for Public
Health Preparedness has developed a short video that addresses one
of these activities - social distancing. When you or someone
in your family contracts H1N1, what precautions should you take so
that you don't spread the virus to other people? Can you leave
your house? How does social distancing differ for children and
the elderly? We have compiled information from the CDC, Health
and Human Services and the latest research to answer these questions
and more.
View Video
For more
information, you can view our booklet
How to Manage the Flu (PDF)
New
Online Courses Available:
Improving Disaster Communication: The Role of Poison
Control Centers in Public Health
Disaster
and mass event situations can lead to uncertainty, fear, anxiety and stress.
In these situations, community members need effective and timely information.
Poison centers currently offer advice to the general public and the healthcare
system on a wide range of poisonings and toxicological issues. They are
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are staffed by specialists who are
trained and experienced in handling individuals in extremely stressful
situations.
Even
though poison centers assume a primary role in poisoning prevention and
education, they additionally play a major role in disaster communication,
surveillance and public health. Faculty will present the ways poison
control has previously connected communities with vital public health
information and the future possibilities of collaborations between public health
and poison control. Recent incidents such as the SARS outbreak and spinach
contamination with E. coli highlight the potential role of poison centers in
enhancing the public health response to mass events and disasters.
This
course will also discuss the potential for public health and poison centers to
develop plans for communication and coordination during disasters and mass
events. Through such strategic alliances, public health will be able to
quickly provide poison centers with vital information, reliable refer the
community to poison center phone lines for essential information, and be able to
effectively respond to the event in the field as needed. NOTE: This
course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.

The Pharmacist's Role in Disasters
Hurricanes, tornadoes, bioterrorism, and pandemic flu are all examples of events
that create emergencies for the public health system. Such events have
disrupted the lives and healthcare of thousands of individuals and will do so
again in the future. Regardless of the type of event, when such
emergencies occur, communities and individuals face real difficulties related to
the need to obtain and properly use pharmaceutical products or the need to
maintain appropriate pharmaceutical therapies. Pharmacists serve the
fundamental role in our ability, as a society, to initiate a pharmaceutical
emergency response where needed, and to maintain appropriate pharmaceutical care
for a damaged community.
The
broadcast faculty in this session will discuss the changing role of the
pharmacist in the public health system as well as the specific roles of the
pharmacist during a public health emergency response. They will also
present examples from the experiences of the pharmacy community during the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. NOTE: This course was originally
delivered as a satellite broadcast.

Community Partnerships and Perspectives - Basic Level
This
course provides an introduction and overview to community partnerships and
perspectives series. It will familiarize you with concepts and skills
necessary in working with communities to improved public health. At
various points throughout the course you will be prompted to complete exercises
that can be found in the course workbook.

Psychology of Terrorism and Psychological
Counterterrorism: 7 Things You Should Know
Sun-Tzu
once wrote that to win at war you must know the enemy as you know yourself.
This means knowing the manner in which the war will be fought. Winning the
war on terrorism requires a practical understanding of the nature of terrorism
and those who use it. This program will focus on the most important
component of the war, which is the psychology of the weapon itself and its
implications for public health preparedness and response. NOTE: This
course was originally delivered as a satellite broadcast.

Consequences
of a Foreign Animal Disease on the Rural Community
The food
industry, including livestock, is one of the most open industries in North
America, and is readily susceptible to outbreaks of Foreign Animal Disease
(FAD). FAD could be introduced accidentally - as happened in the UK - or
it could be introduced intentionally. History has illustrated that during
an FAD, there is massive and widespread depopulation of millions of animals and
a major disruption to most related livestock industries. There also are
significant ill effects on domestic and export markets for meat and milk, and
the potential for a downward spiral for the national economy.
The
control of FAD is not a technical challenge - it is a resource management
challenge. It is a public relations and an information management
challenge. It also can be an endurance challenge, typified in the past by
the six months spend working on Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK and more than
450 days spent working on the 1997 classical swine fever outbreak in the
Netherlands. We need to understand the risks associated with FAD and know
what we can do to prevent them or at least reduce their impact.
The
social and psychological impact of FAD will be at all levels of society
occurring at the national, regional and local or community level.
Neighbors will be against neighbors as the disease strikes one and not the
other. This will cause numerous conflicts, disputes, family breakdowns and
lawsuits. This program will focus on the psychological issues affecting
two groups during an adverse animal event: the families directly impacted and
those who are called upon to respond. Drawing from his personal and
professional experience in England during the 2001 Foot and Mouth disease event,
Dr. Van Wie will relate the experiences of livestock producers who lost their
animals and their livelihoods, as well as the emotional impact he endured
himself as a responder to the event. NOTE: This course was originally
delivered as a satellite broadcast.

Orientation
to the Essentials of Public Health - Introductory Level
This
course provides a brief history of public health in the US. It also
discusses the guiding principles for those who practice public health.
From the initial three core functions of public health first defined by the
Institute of Medicine in 1988 through the current 10 essential services of
public health set by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The
expanded role of public health in the times of disasters is also explored.
Examples of current public health initiatives in the Southeast as well as
testimonials by current public health employees demonstrates the importance of
public health in today's society.

Psychological
First Aid: Building Resiliency for "Us" and "Them"
The
importance of Psychological First Aid for victims of a disaster as well as first
responders has been well established. From the attacks of 9/11 to Hurricane
Katrina, the mental impact of a disaster often has far reaching and lasting
effects. While more attention is being paid to the psychological needs of
victims and first responders, the fact remains that often times during an actual
crisis, those needs are not addressed or are not emphasized based on the
surrounding physical and environmental needs. Promoting an environment of
safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, empowerment and hope is the main
goal of providing Psychological First Aid. That’s why basic training in the
foundations of Psychological First Aid is critical for anyone who may be called
to respond in a disaster situation. This program will help you to better
recognize and manage the basic symptoms of psychological distress and give you
the tools you need to apply basic Psychological First Aid to children, the
elderly, and others in general.
NOTE: This course was originally presented as a satellite broadcast.

Productive Communication Skills
This course is
designed to provide you with the communication skills you will need to help you
take the next step up in your organization. After taking this course, you
will be able to reach a positive outcome with those you supervise by
understanding personal communication style differences, using turn-taking
effectively, noticing facial expressions which may signal emotions, and
maintaining an appropriate body posture when communicating. You will learn
the preferred pace of the different styles, and how styles shift under stress.
You will learn how to increase your productivity by identifying high payoff
activities, handling conflicting priorities, and using your most productive time
of day to your advantage. You will learn how to deal with difficult people
by improving your listening skills and becoming a more persuasive person.

Other Training Opportunities:
Master of
Public Health (MPH) in Disaster Management
Tulane University School
of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Environmental Health
Sciences
A
new program in Disaster Management is being offered by Tulane School
of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Environmental
Health Sciences. This program is offered both on campus and by
distance learning through the Center for Applied Environmental
Public Health (CAEPH). Students may obtain either a graduate
certificate or the full MPH in disaster management. The Tulane
CAEPH distance learning programs are geared to mid career
professionals. CAEPH uses state-of-the-art synchronous
distance learning technologies to enhance learning and networking.
For more information, visit the website at
http://dl.caeph.tulane.edu
or contact Albert Terrillion at
DLinfo@tulane.edu or at
1-800-862-2122.
Master of Public Health
(MPH) in Public Health Preparedness Management and Policy
University of
Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Department of Health Care
Organization & Policy
This specialized degree covers all hazards
preparedness topics including, event typologies, response organization,
leadership and management, hazard and risk assessment policy development and
evaluation and risk communication.
Public Health
Preparedness Management and Policy Learning Objectives
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Describe the economic, legal, organization,
and political underpinnings of the US health system with regard to
preparedness
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Apply principles of management, finance,
accounting and strategic planning in health care organizations with regard
to preparedness; and
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Apply basic planning and management skills as
well as risk assessment policy development and evaluation and risk
communication necessary with regard to preparedness
For more
information on the MPH degree, please visit:
https://www.soph.uab.edu/node/1213
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
in Public Health Management
University of
Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Department of Health Care
Organization & Policy
The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program in
Public Health Management prepares current and future public health leaders and
research faculty to apply critical thinking and rigorous research methods to
complex problems facing public health practitioners and policy makers. The
program focuses on public health management, organization, and leadership issues
and allows students to specialize in preparedness management and policy or any
of the other public health disciplines: biostatistics, environmental health
sciences, epidemiology, or health behavior.
For more
information on the DrPH degree, please visit:
https://www.soph.uab.edu/node/1214
Leadership
Communication Certificate Program Has Launched
The
South Central Public Health Partnership (SCPHP) is pleased to
announce the launch of its fourth online certificate program in
public health. The SCPHP certificate program provides a certificate
of completion upon completion of all courses in a particular subject
or focus area. The fourth series in the SCPHP certificate program is
Leadership Communication. There are 5 courses required for this
program. On completion of the Leadership Communication Certificate
Program, you will be able to demonstrate written and oral
communication skills that are needed as a leader or manager in the
public health setting. No matter how effective a leader or
manager you already are, this program is designed to refresh and
refine the communication skills needed to succeed in today's
fast-paced and stressful public health environment. Issues
that are covered in the certificate program include:
negotiation, conflict resolution, writing techniques, presentation
skills, indirect communication styles such as facial expressions and
body postures, and the use of media in times of disaster.
Course titles will be shown once you enroll to the certificate
program. The Partnership is excited about this newest addition to
our online training programs. For more information on how to
register for the new certificate program, go to the
user manual
**Note: Certificates of completion will be mailed once a
month to individuals based on the address listed in the SCPHP
Learning Management System. Enrollees in the certificate program are
advised to check their address under Profile.
Preparedness Minute Videos
Preparedness Minutes are video clips describing actions to take in
emergency situations, whether they are at work or at home.
Some of the videos will be reminders, others will present new
information. Ultimately these videos will help you be prepared
for an emergency or disaster. Please visit the link below to
watch any of our preparedness minute videos.
Watch Videos
New Preparedness Minute
Videos
by Dr. Joshua Klapow, Associate Professor,
Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, University of Alabama at
Birmingham
-
How To Administer Psychological First Aid
-
Preparing Your Pets For A Disaster
-
How To Reduce Stress In Children Following A
Disaster
Watch The New Videos
Other Online Courses Available:
Cross-Border
Collaboration
The challenges of
disaster and emergency planning and the coordination of response increase
significantly when the event spans state lines, borders of sovereign Tribal
nations, and international borders. Challenges associated with cross
border response range from technical issues such as the compatibility of
communications systems to legal issues such as authority and power of responders
to the managerial issues of planning, organizing, and controlling the response.
In order to deal with these challenges multi-jurisdictional agreements in the
forms of Memorandums of Understanding and Mutual Aid Agreements are often
created. While such agreements are essential to developing the details of
collaboration, testing the effectiveness in terms of both substance and form
through drills and exercises is necessary and offers additional benefits of
strengthening relationships and building confidence among cross-border response
organizations. NOTE: This course was originally presented as a
satellite broadcast.

Special Needs
Populations in Disaster Response
This
course will discuss the basic principles which should underlie
disaster consequence management, planning and appropriate actions
within the action phases of disaster response. It will focus
on the saving of life and mitigation of injury for victims with
special needs and vulnerabilities. The discussion will examine
how culture and religion are population characteristics which may be
usefully considered in the context of special needs when designing
and executing consequence management activities during a crisis.
The
discussion will assist in identifying vulnerable populations in a
community at risk and assess significant requirements and challenges
inherent in their time-phased emergency support. It will
examine the tools required for lifesaving as well as those needed
for broader consequence management which can be confidently
employed. It will also discuss the most effective manners of
use for these tools.

Quick
Links:
Register
Now!
South
Central Public Health Partnership
Tulane
University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
University
of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health

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