CT Health Newsletters
University of Connecticut Health Center
Connecticut Health Signature Program Newsletter
Issue Six - Summer 2003
www.connecticuthealth.org,
ConnecticutHealth@uchc.edu
CONNECTICUT HEALTH: BIOTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS
Model of Preparedness: the UConn Health Center Fire Department
Over the last seventeen months, the UConn Health Center Fire Department has become a
statewide model of preparedness. The department has acquired a $250,000
HazMat/ Special Operations Vehicle and will be receiving a Mass
Decontamination trailer, both of which will support the Health Center
and surrounding region. Deputy Fire Chief Carmine Centrella assisted
with the design of the trailer in conjunction with the State's Military
Department as well as co-chairing a work group that developed the Mass
Decontamination Plan for the Capitol Region's first responders and
hospitals.
Nine UConn Health Center firefighters have been certified as tactical paramedics by
the United States Department of Defense. This training allows them to
operate in a hot zone involving terrorist attack, specialized Law
Enforcement actions or mass casualty incidents in austere conditions.
The majority of Health Center firefighters have received advanced
training as Hazardous Materials Technicians. Additionally, the UConn Health Center fire
department is the only one in Connecticut that has at least one fire
officer from each shift who has been trained in Incident Response to
Terrorist Bombings and Explosive Recognition by the U.S. Department of
Justice in Socorro, New Mexico.
UConn Health Center Fire and Police Departments, in coordination with Health Center
faculty and staff and Farmington Valley fire departments, have conducted
a simulated contamination exercise in and around the Emergency
Department.
This spring, a Bio-terrorism Emergency Preparedness Drill is
scheduled in coordination with other Northern Tier Hospitals, many of
which are part of the Connecticut Centers for Excellence. The drill is
coordinated by the Hartford Hospital Center of Excellence and sponsored
by the Department of Public Health, and draws together state emergency
planning resources to test response protocols, communications, and
readiness. Specific training will be identified and undertaken to
improve readiness levels overall.
For more information, contact Carmine Centrella, UConn Health Center Fire Chief, at
860-679-3317 or via e-mail at
centrella@nso2.uchc.edu
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The UConn Health Center is active in virtually all 169 Connecticut
towns and works to meet a wide range of community and public health
needs.
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Connecticut Smallpox Preparedness Program
Dr. Marcia Trape-Cardoso, Occupational Medicine, (860) 679-4564
The UConn Health Center has been intensively involved in the planning
and implementation of the state's Smallpox Preparedness Program. This
non-emergency smallpox vaccination targets a nucleus of health care
workers, fire and E.M.S. first responders, and public health officers.
Under contract with the Department of Public Health, the Health
Center's Genesis Team is fanning out throughout the state to assure that
sufficient personnel are protected against smallpox in the event of an
outbreak. These pre-event, non-emergency vaccinations are being
distributed through a voluntary program emphasizing education and
screening, as well as a conscious decision by the recipient.
In the event of a smallpox outbreak, outbreak-specific guidance will
be disseminated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Smallpox, a severe viral infection that affects only humans, was
eliminated from the world in 1977. Symptoms include fever, aches,
vomiting, and a distinctive rash. Smallpox can be prevented with
smallpox vaccination. The widespread dissemination of the vaccine was
discontinued in the United States in 1972.
As of MAY 1st, the Genesis Team has administered 205 smallpox
vaccines to 26 UConn Health Center employees, 27 Department of Public Health officers,
25 local Health District officers, 18 State troopers and the remaining
number to health care personnel from the acute care hospitals of the
state. Vaccine reactions until now have been minimal and within the
expected normal reactions.
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Greetings from the UConn Health Center!
As a state-supported institution, the UConn Health Center is
committed to applying its resources to the needs of the citizens of
Connecticut - and this includes the needs of the legislature!
On behalf of our faculty and staff, I would like to extend an offer
of assistance. Whether you need consultation on a complex health issue
or assistance in developing health-related and scientifically sound
legislation, our faculty and staff would welcome the opportunity to
support you and your staff in tackling our state's health and public
health concerns.
Peter J. Deckers, M.D.
Executive Vice President
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“The deliberate release of smallpox as an epidemic disease is now
regarded as a possibility, and the United States is taking precautions
to deal with this possibility.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Bioterrorism Emergency Response Training Program: Preparing
Connecticut's Public Health Workforce
The Bioterrorism Emergency Response Training Program, designed as a
continuing education program for the members of Connecticut's public
health workforce, is well underway. The training program prepares
members of the public health workforce for the possibilities of
bioterrorism in Connecticut by addressing the basic legal,
environmental, epidemiological, logistical, and physical ramifications
of an event of bioterrorism.
The program is being conducted by the University of Connecticut Health
Center's Department of Community Medicine, under contract with the
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Workshops are free and open to
public health workers and other health professionals in the state of
Connecticut.
The program is comprised of five modules addressing the following
topics:
Organizing Volunteers for Emergency Preparedness
Stress Management: Behavioral Health Disaster Response
Public Health Law and Bioterrorism
Environmental Bioterrorism Risks: Air, Food, Water
Disease Outbreaks: Investigation and Surveillance
Each module consists of twelve hours of classroom instruction.
Workshops are free, but space is limited and registration is required.
Workshops will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Link Room and will
be broadcast to interactive satellite locations sites at the Department
of Public Health, the UConn Stamford Campus and Northwest AHEC at the
Torrington Health District. Sessions will be videotape recorded.
For more information, contact Joan Segal (860-679-3446) or Holger
Hansen (860-679-3402).
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“The mission of CDC's National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) Program
is to ensure the availability and rapid deployment of life-saving
pharmaceuticals, antidotes, other medical supplies, and equipment
necessary to counter the effects of nerve agents, biological pathogens,
and chemical agents. The NPS Program stands ready for immediate
deployment to any U.S. location in the event of a terrorist attack using
a biological toxin or chemical agent directed against a civilian
population.”
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -
Connecticut Health
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06030-3967
Phone: (860) 679-3236
Fax: (860) 679-1101
Email: kpasquale@nso1.uchc.edu
www.connnecticuthealth.org
END OF NEWSLETTER
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