Emory Crawford Long Hospital and the Metropolitan Medical Response
System Host Atlanta's Emergency and Medical Personnel for a Day of
SARS Education, Monday, Aug. 18, 8 A.M. 2:30 P.M.
ATLANTA SARS has affected the lives of thousands across the world.
Although Atlanta has been spared the brunt of the epidemic, Emory Crawford
Long Hospital and the Metropolitan Medical Response System are making
sure emergency and medical personnel in Atlanta are prepared for SARS,
should the need arise.
The Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS), a federal committee
for bioterrorism, is holding a sub-committee meeting at ECLH on Aug.
18, 2003, in the Glenn auditorium. The program’s primary focus is to
develop or enhance existing emergency preparedness systems to effectively
respond to a public health crisis.
The day-long meeting is designed to educate emergency and medical personnel
on SARS. This includes:
- Information sharing on
SARS and its potential outbreak in Atlanta
- Present concept of "Frontlines
Approach" to SARS preparation for emergency department (ED) and EMS
agencies
- Prepare Practice Strategies
and Best Practices for frontlines personnel from global SARS sites
- Design the SARS educational
course for ED and EMS providers to be conducted September 26, 2003
- Agree on best practice
consistent approaches to providing information on SARS to the frontlines
staff, and utilization of resources (like the CDC and District Health
Departments) to prepare hospitals and community
- Prepare list of topic
areas that other hospital leadership needs to address for SARS preparedness
Val Sweigart, RN, director
of the Emory Crawford Long emergency department, and Jim Augustine, MD,
medical director of the Fulton County Fire Department, serve as co-chairs
for the meeting. "It’s important that everyone is on the same page when
we are talking about something as serious as SARS," Sweigart said. "We
certainly hope we never have a situation like the one in Toronto, but
we want to be prepared if we do."
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