{"id":102628,"date":"2023-09-06T01:58:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T06:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=102628"},"modified":"2023-09-05T17:06:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T22:06:34","slug":"d-safe-training-is-latest-unmc-partnership-advancing-health-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/09\/06\/d-safe-training-is-latest-unmc-partnership-advancing-health-security\/","title":{"rendered":"D-SAFE training program with UNMC advances health security"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of the eight uniformed services whose mission is to protect, promote and advance the health and safety of the nation. The USPHS Commissioned Corps deploys Public Health Service officers to underserved communities across the nation and throughout the world to assist in cases of public health emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout 2022, more than 2,000 Public Health Service officers were trained by the UNMC Global Center for Health Security on infection prevention and control to better prepare them for deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USPHS Deployment Safety Academy for Field Experience (D-SAFE) training program is funded by the USPHS Commissioned Corps and supported by UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, Texas A&M University and University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. More than 2,200 Public Health Service officers have received education through the D-SAFE training since its inception in March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The D-SAFE program trains Public Health Service officers on key safety and infection control principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe program gives Public Health Service officers opportunities to learn from public health and infectious disease experts with extensive experience in the development of standard operating procedures for managing and responding to infectious disease outbreaks,\u201d program director Abbey Lowe, PhD, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The D-SAFE program is the latest successful collaboration between the Global Center for Health Security and the federal government. The Global Center for Health Security has a history of training federal first responders bolstered by the establishment of the national Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center in October 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Training, Simulation and Quarantine Center is a key capability for national response to public health emergencies,\u201d said Chris Kratochvil, MD, co-principal investigator of the program. \u201cThe Global Center for Health Security has built curriculum to train federal responders on patient transport, mortuary care, clinical response and COVID-19 deployment. The D-SAFE training program represents an important partnership that advances our nation\u2019s health security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Lowe, PhD, co-principal investigator with Dr. Kratochvil, said: \u201cTraining Public Health Service officers is a natural progression toward broadening our training offerings to an even more diverse workforce, which includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, environmental health officers, public health scientists, behavioral health professionals and more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RDML Richard Schobitz, PhD, director of the USPHS Commissioned Corps Headquarters, said: \u201cAs America\u2019s health responders, Public Health Service officers are the first in line to defend our nation\u2019s public health against threats large and small. Trainings, such as the D-SAFE course, are critical components of the preparation needed to help Public Health Service officers protect, promote and advance the health and safety of the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its first year of operation, the D-SAFE program has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n