Health care providers and first-responders in eastern Nebraska are invited to attend a two-day bioterrorism symposium in Lincoln March 23-24 at the Cornhusker Hotel. Target audience of the symposium is emergency medical technicians, nurses, physicians, and laboratory, infection control, public health, and allied health professionals. Cost of the symposium is $15 per day and includes course materials, morning rolls, refreshments, lunch, and continuing education credits.
The symposium will include an overview of biopreparedness issues for health professionals, information about resources across the state, awareness of clinical issues of bioterrorism threats and needs of communities for disaster preparedness. The course schedule will build on concepts from past years and offer new topics such as, contamination of water systems, surge capacity, protecting the nation’s food supply, decontamination, and personal protective equipment, just to name a few.
Keynote speakers will include: Joseph M. Golden, of Malcolm Pirnie, White Plains, N.Y., a consulting firm devoted exclusively to water and wastewater engineering and public health safety; John L. Hick, M.D., of Minneapolis, who specializes in emergency medical services and disaster medicine; Thomas E. Gouttierre, dean of international students and programs and director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and Denise M. Thramer, organization development consultant, The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha.
Also speaking will be: Garry L. McKee, Ph.D., scientific advisor for the Technical Service Center, Omaha, and former administrator of the Food Safety Inspection Service in Washington, D.C.; Michael G. Anderson, M.D. of Canton, GA, founder and president of Northside Children’s Pediatric Center; Col. Gerald P. Jaax, D.V.M., of Randolph, Kan., associate vice provost for research and compliance, Kansas State University and consultant to the United States surgeon general.
Future symposia will be held across the state in Norfolk on April 20-21, at Northeast Community College; in Kearney, May 24-25, at the Holiday Inn; and in Gering, June 16-17, at the Gering Civic Center. This is the third year that the center has hosted the symposia. The program, sponsored by funding from the Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services and the Center for Biopreparedness Education, is presented in collaboration with the Nebraska Health Education Consortium. The Rural Health Education Network will be coordinating the program. The Area Health Education Centers forming across the state will co-sponsor the events.
To register or get an event brochure, go to http://bioprepare.org. For more information, call (402) 559-8106 or email lbronner@unmc.edu.