The Healthcare and Emergency Responder Organization Education through Simulation (HEROES) program is resuming its statewide training and now scheduling training.
Since receiving a University of Nebraska Programs of Excellence Grant in 2005, HEROES has provided in-person, statewide instruction and hands-on emergency preparedness training to teams of health professionals and students in the health professions. HEROES staff typically provide training in-person and through resources on its website and its Mobile Simulation Unit.
Led by the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, available training includes responses to biological, chemical, radiological and natural disaster emergencies, mass casualty incidents and more. Faculty and staff collaborate with other UNMC colleges and the Center for Preparedness Education.
Over the past year, the HEROES program has delivered emergency preparedness training in-person to small groups as well as virtually to community colleges, private colleges and universities to fill the gap when COVID-19 curtailed in-person events.
Just after the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States, HEROES staff created and posted training modules on its website. The site has received almost 300,000 views for modules on making, wearing and maintenance of cloth face coverings for the public; guidance for health professionals use of procedural and surgical mask; N95 Disposable Filtering Facepiece Respirator: Donning & Doffing; and N95 Respirator Limited Reuse – Healthcare Professionals Providing Clinical Care.
"The spread of the SARS Co-V 2 virus and associated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the opportunity to quickly and easily provide accessible information to the health care community," said Elizabeth Beam, PhD, assistant professor in the UNMC College of Nursing and assistant director of research for the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. "Beginning in February of 2020, COVID videos and print media have instructed providers and the public on the safe and effective use of face coverings and respirators."
In-person training visits are scheduled for late May and early June for Creighton University paramedic students, Clarkson College of Nursing summer students, regional hospitals and emergency medical services in western Nebraska.
HEROES also is partnering with the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory to provide training for donning and doffing N-95 and powered air purifying respirators-level personal protective equipment. Training also will include collection of lab specimens for testing.
View an array of training modules on the HEROES website: www.unmcheroes.org
For more information or to schedule a training session, contact Kim Hayes at kim.hayes@unmc.edu.
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