Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
H1N1 Focus of California Hospital Association Disaster
Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:53pm
3-Day Conference Brings Together Public Health Officials, Clinicians, Disaster
Experts
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 14
As the H1N1 pandemic unfolds and the fall flu season arrives, the potential impact on California's
local community hospitals is significant. In order to address the myriad of
complex issues that may arise, more than 800 nurses, doctors, emergency room
(ER) managers, disaster planners, emergency preparedness coordinators, public
health officials and governmental leaders have gathered in Sacramento for a
three-day conference on the readiness of California's hospitals to respond to
emergency or disaster situations.
"California's community hospitals are on the front lines of care, especially
in times of a disaster," said C. Duane Dauner, president and CEO of the
California Hospital Association (CHA), the sponsor of the conference. "Yet,
hospitals don't operate in isolation. Emergency preparedness is an ongoing
effort that requires collaboration among health care providers and state and
local public health officials. This information-packed conference brings
together all of the key stakeholders to ensure that our communities are
prepared to respond to the challenges ahead."
The conference, called "From Readiness to Recovery," is cosponsored by the
California Department of Public Health, the California Emergency Management
Agency and the Emergency Medical Services Authority.
A highlight of the conference will be a panel discussion on preparing for an
outbreak of the H1N1 pandemic influenza featuring three top state public
health officials. The session, titled
"Preparing for an H1N1 Outbreak - The State's Perspective" is slated for
Tuesday, September 15 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Sacramento Convention
Center. Speakers will include Gilberto Chavez, M.D., chief of the Center for
Infectious Disease at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH);
Kathleen Harriman, M.D., chief of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Epidemiology
Section at CDPH; and Deborah Gold, senior safety engineer in the Research and
Standards Unit at Cal/OSHA. The three officials will discuss health care
worker safety, the state's vaccine program and the impact of a manufacturing
shortage of N95 protective masks.
H1N1 also will be the topic of a luncheon presentation on Monday, September 14
featuring Susan Fanelli, assistant deputy director of Public Health Emergency
Preparedness at CDPH. The presentation, titled "Update on State Initiatives
-- What We Are Learning About H1N1," will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. in
the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency hotel (across from the convention center).
Fanelli will share the latest information on California's efforts to prepare
for the H1N1 pandemic, including an update on the state's reserve of
protective medical equipment and pharmaceutical supplies.
A discussion on how pediatric H1N1 patients differ from adults suffering from
the influenza outbreak will be among the topics discussed during a two-part
presentation on trauma and pediatric surge planning to be held Monday,
September 14 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. The speakers will include Hernando Garzon,
M.D., emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento and EMS
Medical Director for Sacramento County; and Kathleen Stevenson, disaster
resource center manager for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
And an innovative new approach to triaging and evaluating patients using
automobiles as self-contained isolation units will be the focus of an
informative session on Tuesday, September 15 from 2:30 - 4 p.m. Called
"Drive-Thru Triage," Eric Weiss, M.D., associate professor of emergency
medicine and medical director of the Office of Continuity and Disaster
Planning at Stanford Hospital/Clinics will share important lessons from this
novel method for evaluating high volumes of patients during a pandemic.
In addition to H1N1, the conference also will feature many other disaster
planning sessions including responding to a chemical or radiological incident,
addressing the psychological consequences of terrorism or other large-scale
emergencies, and the role of long-term care and community clinics during a
public health emergency. Conference sessions will take place at the
Sacramento Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency hotel.
SOURCE California Hospital Association
Jan Emerson of California Hospital Association, +1-916-552-7516, or cell:
+1-916-804-0663
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS157818+14-Sep-2009+PRN20090914
Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:53pm
3-Day Conference Brings Together Public Health Officials, Clinicians, Disaster
Experts
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 14
As the H1N1 pandemic unfolds and the fall flu season arrives, the potential impact on California's
local community hospitals is significant. In order to address the myriad of
complex issues that may arise, more than 800 nurses, doctors, emergency room
(ER) managers, disaster planners, emergency preparedness coordinators, public
health officials and governmental leaders have gathered in Sacramento for a
three-day conference on the readiness of California's hospitals to respond to
emergency or disaster situations.
"California's community hospitals are on the front lines of care, especially
in times of a disaster," said C. Duane Dauner, president and CEO of the
California Hospital Association (CHA), the sponsor of the conference. "Yet,
hospitals don't operate in isolation. Emergency preparedness is an ongoing
effort that requires collaboration among health care providers and state and
local public health officials. This information-packed conference brings
together all of the key stakeholders to ensure that our communities are
prepared to respond to the challenges ahead."
The conference, called "From Readiness to Recovery," is cosponsored by the
California Department of Public Health, the California Emergency Management
Agency and the Emergency Medical Services Authority.
A highlight of the conference will be a panel discussion on preparing for an
outbreak of the H1N1 pandemic influenza featuring three top state public
health officials. The session, titled
"Preparing for an H1N1 Outbreak - The State's Perspective" is slated for
Tuesday, September 15 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Sacramento Convention
Center. Speakers will include Gilberto Chavez, M.D., chief of the Center for
Infectious Disease at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH);
Kathleen Harriman, M.D., chief of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Epidemiology
Section at CDPH; and Deborah Gold, senior safety engineer in the Research and
Standards Unit at Cal/OSHA. The three officials will discuss health care
worker safety, the state's vaccine program and the impact of a manufacturing
shortage of N95 protective masks.
H1N1 also will be the topic of a luncheon presentation on Monday, September 14
featuring Susan Fanelli, assistant deputy director of Public Health Emergency
Preparedness at CDPH. The presentation, titled "Update on State Initiatives
-- What We Are Learning About H1N1," will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. in
the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency hotel (across from the convention center).
Fanelli will share the latest information on California's efforts to prepare
for the H1N1 pandemic, including an update on the state's reserve of
protective medical equipment and pharmaceutical supplies.
A discussion on how pediatric H1N1 patients differ from adults suffering from
the influenza outbreak will be among the topics discussed during a two-part
presentation on trauma and pediatric surge planning to be held Monday,
September 14 from 3:30 - 5 p.m. The speakers will include Hernando Garzon,
M.D., emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento and EMS
Medical Director for Sacramento County; and Kathleen Stevenson, disaster
resource center manager for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
And an innovative new approach to triaging and evaluating patients using
automobiles as self-contained isolation units will be the focus of an
informative session on Tuesday, September 15 from 2:30 - 4 p.m. Called
"Drive-Thru Triage," Eric Weiss, M.D., associate professor of emergency
medicine and medical director of the Office of Continuity and Disaster
Planning at Stanford Hospital/Clinics will share important lessons from this
novel method for evaluating high volumes of patients during a pandemic.
In addition to H1N1, the conference also will feature many other disaster
planning sessions including responding to a chemical or radiological incident,
addressing the psychological consequences of terrorism or other large-scale
emergencies, and the role of long-term care and community clinics during a
public health emergency. Conference sessions will take place at the
Sacramento Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency hotel.
SOURCE California Hospital Association
Jan Emerson of California Hospital Association, +1-916-552-7516, or cell:
+1-916-804-0663
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS157818+14-Sep-2009+PRN20090914