Wednesday, November 29, 2006, 2–3:30 p.m., EST

Additional Resources

Get informed and be prepared at the following link for one-stop access to U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information, http://pandemicflu.gov/index.html. This site is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Providing Mass Medical Care with Scarce Resources: A Community Planning Guide — The product of a collaboration between the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this guide is written by leading experts in six areas related to mass casualty care: prehospital care, hospital and acute care, alternative care sites, palliative care, ethical issues, and legal considerations. Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mce/ for more information and to download the document.

Reopening Shuttered Hospitals to Expand Surge Capacity — A new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), offers some important, timely information to prepare emergency responders and public health officials for disasters. The report includes the Surge Toolkit and Facilities Checklist for planning and site inspection. Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/shuttered/ for more information.

AHRQ's Community-Based Mass Prophylaxis: A Planning Guide for Public Health Preparedness, developed by researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, provides an overview of the five components of a mass prophylaxis response to epidemic outbreaks — surveillance, stockpiling, distribution, dispensing, and followup. Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/cbmprophyl/cbmpro.htm for more information.

Pediatric Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness: A Resource for Pediatricians enables pediatricians to become informed and aware of their roles in disaster preparedness and response. This report was prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/pedprep/resource.htm for more information about this report.

Decontamination of Children: Preparedness and Response for Hospital Emergency Departments — The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a 27-minute video that demonstrates for emergency responders and hospital emergency department staff how to safely decontaminate children who have been exposed to hazardous chemicals, including those from a bioterrorist attack. Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/decontam.htm for more information.

AHRQ's Health Emergency Assistance Line and Triage Hub (HEALTH) Model, developed by researchers at Denver Health Medical Information Centers under an AHRQ contract, is designed to minimize surges in patient demand on the health care delivery system during a bioterrorist event or other public health emergency. The report helps planners determine the requirements, specifications, and resources needed for developing an emergency contact center such as the HEALTH model. Go to http://www.ahrq.gov/research/health/ for more information about the report and related tools.