Education

Health Professionals

Physicians

Recent terrorist events have illustrated how important it is for physicians to provide early detection and treatment of diseases spread by terrorist actions. Yet, currently there is little in the way of prepared materials and training modules on WMD and terrorism for the practicing physician. The Center will be positioned to study the strengths and limitations of current medical education curricula and to develop and administer new educational materials to address the needs of physicians in their communities.

Nurses

Like physicians, there is little in the way of formal training available for nurses within or outside the public health and emergency medical realms. The Center can study and assess the current curricula and design, administer, and evaluate the effectiveness of new curricula in this area.

Emergency Response Professionals

EMT’s and paramedics may be the group who have as a whole the largest amount of training and experience in the area of disaster preparedness. Still, the training materials used traditionally for their education will need to be updated and delivered uniformly throughout the state. The Center will work with other emergency organizations to provide the expertise for updating and delivering education for first-responders throughout Florida.

The Public

Community support and education:

The Center’s expertise in working with Florida’s communities in the areas of public health and emergency response will allow it to be a resource for cities and counties who might wish to have further assessment and education on WMD and bioterrorism. This service would be in cooperation with other local public health and law enforcement entities. When requested, community forums, focus groups or public hearings could be set up and facilitated by the Center.

Individual education:

Although most education on emergency preparedness has traditionally been accomplished through work at the community level, the events of Sept. 11  suggest that direct, formal education of the public at large may be a key element in preventing and responding to possible terrorist events. The Center has the expertise to develop and administer educational materials directly to the public. This can be accomplished when requested through Web-sites, e-mail listings, teleconferencing, forums or conferences, or printed/distributed materials.