Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Nebraska has established itself as one of the leading states in the country in bioterrorism preparedness. This week, the Cornhusker State will record another milestone, as it now ranks among the three largest training centers in the National Disaster Life Support program.
On Aug. 23 to 26, the Holiday Inn at 110 Second Ave. in Kearney will host a three and one-half day course designed to provide participants with the necessary skills to become course instructors in bioterrorism and natural disaster preparedness.
The course is a collaborative effort between the Center for Biopreparedness Education (a joint project between the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton University Medical Center) and the Center for Continuing Education at UNMC.
Twenty-six certified instructors in National Disaster Life Support will make the trek to Kearney, said Leslie Gunning, program associate in the UNMC Center for Continuing Education and coordinator of the disaster training program.
Gunning said 34 people have signed up for the Kearney course, with most being health professionals from Central and Western Nebraska. The course is geared to physicians, nurses, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists, allied health and public health professionals, law enforcement officials, emergency medical service and hazardous materials personnel.
“We trained 37 instructors at this same course in Omaha last March, and most of these people will be coming out to Kearney to help deliver this course,” Gunning said. “With the people receiving training in Kearney, we will now have more than 70 certified instructors in our state.”
There are a total of 13 regional training centers in the country, she said. In addition to Nebraska, the other regional training centers, which have trained the most NDLS instructors are located at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.Gunning said Nebraska’s program for training instructors in disaster preparedness is exactly what federal officials envisioned. “The idea is to train a group of instructors, then have this group go out and train the next group, and the cycle continues as more instructors continue to come on board,” she said. “The ultimate goal is to provide a standardized approach for responding to a disaster.”
“Our original course in Omaha provided disaster training for health professionals in Eastern Nebraska,” Gunning said. “However, we knew there was a need for us to provide this same training to the rest of the state. We’re excited to able to come to Kearney and offer this important training to health professionals in Central Nebraska and the Panhandle.”
The Center for Biopreparedness Education’s goal is to offer this same course each year both in Eastern Nebraska and in Central/Western Nebraska, said Sharon Medcalf, associate director for the center. “We want to ensure that all responders have the opportunity to be trained locally and in turn, train their colleagues.”
The first day of the course on Aug. 23 will be devoted to Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The curriculum will include a series of lectures dealing with response to all sorts of disasters.
The next two days, Aug. 24-25, will provide training in Advanced Disaster Life Support (ADLS) and will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lectures will deal with mass triage, community and hospital disaster planning, media and communications during disasters and mass fatality management. In addition, participants will work in small groups to try to solve a variety of disaster management questions and will engage in a variety of hands-on activities.
The final day, Aug. 26, will be the National Disaster Life Support Instructor Course. Participants must have completed the BDLS and ADLS courses. This course runs from 8 a.m. to noon and will include an actual disaster training exercise.
“We want people in Kearney to know that this is just a training exercise and not an actual disaster,” Gunning said. “There will be lots of disaster activity taking place – both inside and outside the hotel. Much of the outside activity will occur on the sand volleyball area.”
“We want this to be as real as possible,” Gunning said. “We have numerous people who have volunteered to serve as victims, and we will be bringing simulated patient mannequins from the UNMC College of Nursing.”
She said the disaster skill stations will be given in four sessions involving groups of between nine and 12 people. The Kearney Fire Department has been invited to participate in the training exercise. Participants will be trained in giving necessary vaccinations, including smallpox vaccinations, using personal protective equipment and in delivering care to the mannequins and simulated patients.
Continuing education credits are available for the BDLS and ADLS courses. For more information, contact Gunning at (402) 559-4290 or at lgunning@unmc.edu.
The family of courses that make up the National Disaster Life Support program were created by a partnership of academic institutions and multiple supporting government agencies and professional organizations. The programs were adopted by the American Medical Association and the National Disaster Life Support Foundation to manage their roll-out across the nation.