| Disaster Planning |
Penn State Abington Preps Health Care Institutions for Disaster Planning
The tragic effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have been felt by citizens throughout the country, having been called by some “The worst natural disasters in our country's history.”
In light of these recent catastrophes, Penn State Abington's Continuing Education is offering a seminar titled: “Disaster Planning for Health Care Institutions”, as part of its Health Care Occupational Safety Management Certificate program. The seminar emphasizes proper planning and management training that will help alleviate wasting precious time and resources in desperate circumstances.
According to Dan Fitzgerald, assistant director of continuing education at Penn State Abington, “The disaster planning seminar is very timely due to the recent events on the Gulf Coast . We developed this program after ‘9-11', while trying to maintain awareness of existing plans for crisis at the federal, state, and local levels.”
“Not only is the content of these programs extraordinary,” said Fitzgerald, “but having experienced faculty, with real-world experience, is something that we pride ourselves on.”
Program Coordinator, Francis J. Roth, has been involved in the health-care safety field for nearly 20 years. A board certified safety professional, Roth is an outreach trainer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's general industry course, and has numerous certifications in emergency response. Roth also holds advanced educational degrees in fire prevention technology and environmental health, with a concentration in industrial hygiene. “As someone who works in health care safety and as an emergency responder, I have had the opportunity to experience a number of disaster response situations in my career. I have seen things that worked well, and I've also seen things that haven't,” said Roth. “Our program attempts to focus on the practical aspects of disaster response, so the facility can continue to provide patient care even during the most extreme of conditions.”This particular seminar aims to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of an incident management system, forming the core response to all health care emergency situations, and to help them obtain insight concerning how this system will interface with outside (public and private) response emergencies.
Roth stressed just how crucial proper planning and execution for health care institutions can be in a time of crisis, when every second counts. “A health care facility is one of the few places that cannot shut down during a disaster - it's where the sick and the injured go for safe haven,” said Roth. “My goal is to have the participants go back to their facility, and from what they've learned, reassess their disaster plans to insure they have a comprehensive system-based response that's going to work.”
The certificate program consists of eight workshops. Participants, who complete all eight, will receive a Certificate in Health Care Occupational Safety Management. Registering for individual workshops automatically enters applicants into the certificate program. However, there is no obligation to complete all eight. Applicants may register for just those programs that meet specific educational needs.
The cost is $165 for the seminar, which will be held Thursday, October 20 at the Best Western Hotel Philadelphia Northeast, 11580 Roosevelt Boulevard , Philadelphia . It will begin with registration and continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 4:30 p.m. Participants will be awarded 6 CEU's (Continuing Education Units) upon completing the workshop. Complete directions will be mailed or e-mailed with registration confirmation. Fore more information, or to register call 215-881-7402 or visit www.abington.psu.edu/outreach/
###PRESS CONTACT : Chuck Marsh, Director of University Relations – 215-881-7376