Operations and Training

OSHA's hurricane response and recovery resources available for storm season
This summer and fall, hurricane relief employees stand to benefit from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) products offering tips on safe and healthful work practices following a storm. Information on safety standards for dealing with hazards such as electrocution, falling tree branches, and contaminated water is available on the OSHA Web site at www.osha.gov.

Emergency Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Audit of Program Support Center’s Award Process for a Contract With North Central Texas Services, Inc.
As part of HHS’s hurricane relief operations, Program Support Center (PSC) awarded a contract to North Central Texas Services, Inc., which operates under the name “CareFlite.” The contract obligated CareFlite to furnish transportation services for evacuated medical patients who required medical care from their places of evacuation to their original locations. Our objective was to determine whether PSC complied with Federal Acquisition Regulation and Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation requirements during the award process involving CareFlite. PSC complied with the requirements.

Emergency Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Audit of Program Support Center’s Award Process for a Contract With CredentialSmart," (A-03-06-00524)
As part of HHS’s hurricane relief operations, Program Support Center (PSC) awarded a contract to Digital Online Technologies, Inc., which does business as “CredentialSmart.” The contract obligated CredentialSmart to provide prompt and secure credentialing services. Our objective was to determine whether PSC complied with Federal Acquisition Regulation and Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation requirements during the award process involving CredentialSmart. PSC complied with the requirements.

CDC Update on Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Case
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following update regarding its investigation and public health actions related to a patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB).

New DVD Will Help Train Health Care Workers to Provide Respiratory Care during Disasters
The Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a DVD titled "Cross Training Respiratory Extenders for Medical Emergencies (Project XTREME)," to train health care professionals who are not respiratory care specialists to provide basic respiratory care and ventilator management to adult patients in any mass casualty event. Among the possible emergencies when such auxiliary clinical help may be necessary are an influenza pandemic, a bioterrorist attack involving anthrax or other agents, or an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illnesses. Principal target groups for the training are physicians, physician assistants, and nurses.

Radiological Terrorism: Emergency Management Pocket Guide for Clinicians
The pocket guide is designed as a quick reference for clinicians, including physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals, who will provide emergency care in a hospital setting following a radiological terrorism incident.

CDC Training - Bombings: Injury Patterns and Care
Bombings: Injury Patterns and Care is a new course designed to provide the latest clinical information regarding blast-related injuries from terrorism. The course is available in multiple formats with a CD-ROM/Web-based interactive course planned for release later in 2007

Radiological Emergency Response Operations (RERO) Course
Noble Training Center
Emergency Management Institute
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Homeland Security
This is a 4.5 day performance-based course where the participants learn to respond to, and manage, radiological incidents. The participants, organized as response teams, operate and make decisions in a realistic exercise environment.

Fundamentals of Health Care Emergency Management
Noble Training Center
Emergency Management Institute
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Homeland Security
This new 4-day course, taught at the Noble Training Center, is designed for personnel who are responsible for development, implementation, maintenance and administration of emergency management plans for hospitals, clinics, community health centers and other health care organizations. The course provides an overview of health care oriented emergency management planning process and stresses the need to coordinate these plans with local and regional emergency operations plans.