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(Contact: Rosie Smith FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel. 850/718-2696
Email: rsmith@jackhosp.org
JACKSON HOSPITAL ONE OF TWO NORTHWEST FLORIDA HOSPITALS SELECTED FOR BIOLOGICAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PILOT TRAINING
Pandemic Influenza, Biological Disaster Preparedness Response and Recovery Efforts Learned
Marianna, FL, January 17, 2008. Jackson Hospital is one of two hospitals in Northwest Florida and one of 15 Hospitals in the State of Florida participating in a pilot training course to evaluate the Florida Department of Health’s “Biological Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery Toolkit.” Today, 14 Jackson Hospital employees participated in the same Pilot Training being presented to Baptist Medical Center in Pensacola. The Jackson Hospital team will provide feedback on the training for incorporation into the final version of the Toolkit that will be used to train all Florida Hospitals.
The Toolkit is designed to operationalize the Biologic Incident Component of Florida’s Disaster Response Plan for Hospitals published in 2006. Included in the Toolkit -- co-collaborated between the State of Florida Department of Health and Jackson Health System, Miami, FL -- is evidence-based, state-of-the-art knowledge and best practices in effective biological disaster and pandemic event preparedness, response, and recovery.
All Florida hospitals must have an “all-hazard” disaster preparedness plan with a biological terrorism component included. Furthermore, the plan must have a Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) following the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards for disaster management, communications, personnel accountability and systemic planning and response.
The greater Jackson County community benefits from the Hospital staff’s participation in this training. Dr. Abdul Memon, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Disaster & Emergency Preparedness for Jackson Health System in Miami was the facilitator of the Pilot Training in Marianna. He is board certified in internal medicine, emergency medicine, and pulmonary medicine, serves on a number of committees related to health/bioterrorism/pandemic influenza preparedness and is a featured speaker at the local, state, and national levels. He says about the Biological Disaster Preparedness Training, “The program enables better preparation for a pandemic influenza and any Bioterrorism-related event from infectious diseases.”
While it is hard to think about biological terrorism occurring in Jackson County, the preparation is critical to respond and recover from such an event and the training helps hardens the Hospital’s day-to-day infection control processes. The knowledge gained enables Jackson Hospital Infection Control Director, Philip Yoder, RN, BSN, to train employees on the effective use of healthcare protective equipment such as masks, gloves, and protective clothing.
Jackson Hospital has received grants for Disaster Preparedness since 2005. The Hospital was selected for inclusion in the Pilot Training after a very successful Disaster Preparedness Drill. Greg Grant is Jackson Hospital’s Safety Officer and he said of Jackson Hospital’s Disaster Preparedness plan, “Due to the close relationships with the Department of Health, the Emergency Operations Center, Marianna and Jackson County law enforcement agencies and Fire and Rescue, we are all prepared to work together with our employees to quickly resolve and contain emergency situations.”
Jackson Hospital’s mission is to provide the highest quality healthcare to those it serves, enhancing life in a compassionate environment. The hospital counts Jackson County and neighboring counties as its service area.
Jackson Hospital, a top 100 Hospital in the nation according to Thomson Healthcare, is the only Florida hospital in its size category to receive the 2006 Performance Improvement Leaders award. The Hospital is Jackson County’s fifth largest employer and provides inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care services from its main location in Marianna at 4250 Hospital Drive. # # # If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Jackson Hospital Safety Director Greg Grant, please call Rosie at 850/718-2696 or email her at rsmith@jackhosp.org.
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