185251 Preparedness Planning, Florida's Public Health Approach to Special Needs Sheltering

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Sandra Schoenfisch, PhD, RN , Office of Public Health Nursing, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, FL
The purpose and mission of the Special Needs Shelter (SpNS) Program is to enhance the approach to SpNS sheltering operations that ensures the continuity of services and quality of care to clients, caregivers and staff during their stay in a SpNS. Methods to provide this enhancement include tools, resources, and education/training for sheltering partners as well as community members. Event driven responses resulted in the identification of gaps. Development of tools such as the Alternate Site Discharge Planning Manual, Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG), and Technical Assistance Guidelines (TAG) were designed to bridge those gaps. These tools assist in strengthening the mobilization, operations, and demobilization planning components to sheltering, maximizing the use of limited resources and quickening the return to a pre-event environment.

Resources include supplies and equipment but also include personnel. Effective training and exercising of shelter staff through preparedness courses such as the SpNS Management, SpNS Operations, and Public Health Nursing/Disaster Basic Skills courses ensures a safe and effective response. Regional Special Needs Shelter Consultants (RSpNSC) provide technical assistance/support at the local, regional, and state level. These experienced consultants (6) offer needs assessment and assist with strengthening shelter response by addressing those needs. The Program also supports partnering to educate community members on the importance of preparing and planning for home sheltering during an event that may potentially overwhelm the local acute care facilities and practitioners. The Home Care Course is a Train the Trainer approach that supports community resiliency and further supports the cycle of preparing and planning.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to (1) identify tools and resources designed to enhance special needs shelter operations (2) identify trainings for sheltering partners and community members designed to support disaster planning and efficient response

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Currently, I am the Nursing Services Director in the Florida Department of Health Office of Public Health Nursing and was previously the Assistant Director of the Florida Department of Health Office of Performance Improvement. I was also the Training Coordinator and am responsible for development and annual updating of the Agency Workforce Development Plan. My responsibilities include oversight of the nursing practice programs, disaster preparedness programs, a five million dollar budget of federal and state funding. In my previous position, my responsibilities included oversight of the infrastructure that assures workforce development to support and promote progress toward the department’s mission and achievement of specific long range and short-range goals. Major areas of focus include mandatory training, core training, continuing education for health professionals and management of the Department’s statewide distance learning network which is made up of 90 down link sites. I have a diverse background including experience as a clinician, educator and administrator. I have been with the Department of Health since 1983 and taught at the undergraduate and graduate level prior to 1983. I am experienced in program planning, implementation and evaluation. In my previous position, I developed multi-media and multi-modal training programs and materials for the agency’s 16,000-member workforce. I am a member of the American Public Health Association, Florida Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, Who’s Who in American Women, and Women in Government. I have had numerous professional publications and has successfully written public health grants for HIV/AIDS, diabetes and cancer funding. She has been a consultant at both the state national level for many health and education related projects, programs and councils. I received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the American University, a Master of Science from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and completed a Ph.D. in education at Florida State University.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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