The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69496

Stephen S. Morse, PhD¹, Kristine Qureshi, RN, DNSc², and Eric Gebbie, MA, MIA¹. (1) Center for Public Health Preparedness, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, 212-305-4883, ssm20@columbia.edu, (2) Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168 Street, New York, NY 10032

Terrorism poses enormous challenges for the public health system. For some types of disasters, the public health response may well require the availability of more personnel than most departments of health have in their employ, challenging the very limited surge capacity of the public health system. However, many universities have talented professionals and other staff willing and able to assist public health during times of disaster. The challenge is to identify what types of public health disaster functional roles need to be filled for specific types of disasters, to recruit staff who have the functional role skill or can be readily trained, and finally to develop and test a mechanism to rapidly mobilize the pre-trained volunteers. A public health surge capacity model has been developed and is being tested for the purpose of maintaining a public health disaster response labor pool that can be used to augment the public health workforce. The model grew out of activities following the September 11 attacks, when the Center polled the School of Public Health faculty and provided the Health Department an inventory of faculty volunteers and their areas of technical expertise. In the expanded model, functional roles and technical areas are being identified by the department of health; potential university based volunteers are being recruited by the Center and trained both in basic emergency preparedness and the disaster functional roles. Mobilization logistics will be tested after training. Work is in progress; the results will be reported. (Supported by ASPH/CDC Cooperative Agreement A1013-21/21)

Learning Objectives:

• The learner will be able to define what is meant by the surge capacity system.
• The learner will be able define what is meant by the term functional emergency response role.
• The learner will be able to describe how to test mobilization logistics

Keywords: Disasters, Workforce

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.