Oral

This session will explore the ethical principles that might guide local, state, and nations as they prepare to ration scarce resources in the event of an epidemic or pandemic. A community consultation process that took place in Minnesota will serve as an example of a state's efforts to base these ethical principles on community beliefs and concerns. The process by which the World Health Organization developed ethical principles to guide decisionmaking will also be discussed.

Session Objectives: 1. assess public health ethical principles that should guide communities as they prepare for epidemics 2. articulate the public consultation process undertaken by the state of Minnesota as it explored how to ration scarce resources during a flu epidemic. 3. understand the ethical principles put forth by the World Health Organization as it creates guiding principles for addressing epidemics/pandemics.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing