Categories: General, Preparedness, Prevention/Vaccination
January 9th, 2013 11:16 am ET - Blog Administrator
By Gloria Krahn (Director, CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability)
On December 18, 2012, CDC hosted a Public Health Grand Rounds promoting opportunities for the best quality of life for individuals with disabilities. You can access the event in the Grand Round archives.
The facts: One in six adult Americans live with a disability when defined by a limitation in function, and $400 billion is spent annually on disability-related health expenditures.
Categories: General, Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Response
January 1st, 2013 8:00 am ET - Blog Administrator
New Year’s resolutions have been on our mind at CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. Through the halls you will hear talk of losing weight, reading more, spending less money… the list goes on and on. But let’s be honest, resolutions can be hard to keep. This year, make a resolution you can keep. Commit to improving your preparedness skills and resources for emergency situations.
Categories: Anthrax, General, Preparedness
December 19th, 2012 9:00 am ET - Blog Administrator
Workers from the county health department calmly walk door to door putting little bags into mailboxes as they move through the quiet suburban neighborhood. In less than two hours, the team has delivered those bags to 1500 mailboxes, nearly 4500 residents. In each bag is a bottle of antibiotics that provides protection from the inhalational anthrax that was released in town by some very bad people. The residents who have those antibiotics in their mailboxes can stay home for a few more days, buying time for public health, healthcare, and law enforcement officials to determine who is at risk from the deadly biological agent and who will need more medication.
Sound like a new blockbuster movie?
Categories: General, Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Response
December 3rd, 2012 10:49 am ET - Blog Administrator
By Kate Lighthall
Project Wildfire in Deschutes County, Oregon has been recognized by CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Responses’ (OPHPR) Learning Office and the CDC Foundation as a community effort that reflects and embodies FEMA’s Whole Community approach to emergency management.
Although central Oregon experiences other natural and man-made disasters, wildfires are by far the biggest threat here, especially during the summer months. In an average year, we experience 450 fires that burn 50,000 acres and homes, threaten lives and impact the economy. Following two devastating wildfires that burned in Bend, Oregon in 1990 and again in 1996, the Fire Chief of Deschutes County, Oregon, Gary Marshall, received a phone call from Safeco Insurance offering to contribute to the purchase of new firefighting equipment. Marshall politely declined Safeco’s offer because he had a more effective, long-term solution in mind that involved educating the public about the risks of wildfires.
Categories: General, Preparedness, Response, Zombies
November 27th, 2012 1:46 pm ET - Blog Administrator
By Kara Stephens
When I offered to coordinate CDC/PHPR’s participation at this year’s Dragon*Con, I truly did not grasp how big of an event it is. Dragon*Con is considered the largest pop culture convention in the universe – and while trying to navigate through the crowd of roughly fifty two thousand sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, and science enthusiasts the enormity of the event quickly became apparent.
Categories: Disease Investigation, Disease Outbreak, Response
November 14th, 2012 2:05 pm ET - Blog Administrator
By Jeff Eggert
It is another beautiful Denver morning. The sun is shining, and Canadian geese are honking in 40 degree weather. A large crowd has begun to gather in the center of a park, huddled around hot coffee and warm bagels while yellow-vested volunteers quickly triage individuals in the crowd towards the appropriate registration line. The Incident Commander holds a last minute briefing with Denver Police Department, Denver Health Paramedic Division and Denver Parks and Recreation covering everything from “securing the perimeter” to “ensuring client and volunteer safety.”
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