October 25, 2006
Time: 9:30-4:00
Location: Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport
Registration - Closed
Conference Information:
Recent national events like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 as well as regional events like the Hepatitis A outbreak in 2003 illustrates the importance of cross-border emergency preparedness. While public safety organizations, police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) often cross state borders to render assistance and did so during some of these events, initial inquiries indicate such interoperability is lacking in the public health preparedness and response area.
The Cross-Border Public Health Preparedness Conference is the culmination of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded project that's purpose was to determine the status of cross-state border public health preparedness in a multi-state region. Local public health agencies in contiguous rural counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia participated in this project which sought to determine the level of coordination, communication and legal activities that occur between the local public health agencies. The project also assessed the level of preparedness for each local public health agency and each agencies familiarity with the structure of public health in other states. Information gathered from the local public health departments suggested a range of issues that were pervasive across all the health departments and a general need for more information about the infrastructure of each State's Public health infrastructure.
This conference provided a forum for local public health agencies to obtain clarification on these issues as well as understand the agency's role in an emergency that has public health implications and which crosses state borders, relative to each State's Emergency Plan and the States Department of Health's role.
Watch the Event
Opening Remarks- Gerry Barron, MPH
Keynote EMAC- Tamara Little, JD
WV Office of Emergency Agency- John Paul Jones
PA Emergency Management Agency- James Messinger
OH Emergency Management Agency -Tamara Little, JD
OH Department of Health- Siestke de Fijiter, MS
PA Department of Health -Virginia Dato, MD, MPH
WV Department of Health and Human Services- Cathy Slemp, MD, MPH
Group Findings and Closing Remarks
Acknowledgements
The conference is conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and the Center for Public Health Preparedness in collaboration with the Ohio Center for Public Health Preparedness at The Ohio State University, West Virginia University, Office of Public Health Practice, Department of Community Medicine, and local and state health departments in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
