Emergency Preparedness & Response Education Program

Over the past three years, AHEC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Education Program has trained more than 8,100 health care professionals statewide to recognize and respond to acts of biological terrorism and other public health threats and emergencies.

In October 2005, Area Health Education Center of Southern Nevada received a grant award from the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to fund the Nevada bioterrorism Continuing Education Project. The three-year grant will fund a comprehensive, four-part continuing education and training program to strengthen and enhance bioterrorism preparedness for community health care professionals across the state. The program will provide Nevada's health care workforce with the ability to recognize indications of a terrorist attack; meet the acute needs of patients, including pediatric and other vulnerable populations, in a safe and appropriate manner; participate in a coordinated, multi-disciplinary response to mass casualty events and other public health emergencies; and rapidly and effectively alert Nevada's public health system of an event at the community, state, and national level.

In order to make the best use of this funding, the Emergency Preparedness and Response Education Program is collaborating with subject matter experts, both nationally and from the state of Nevada to offer trainings in multiple topics geared towards expanding the capacity of our healthcare workforce to address complex issues in mass casualty incidents. The collaborations include:

• The prestigious Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response for the development of enduring materials to help Nevada's healthcare workforce to effectively address mass casualty situations and vulnerable populations, including pediatric and geriatric patients.
• Working with state and local experts to develop training on the current dangers associated with smallpox and vaccinia. That training will be available on streaming video June 30, 2006.

Please check back in the future for trainings currently in development.

Western Regional Preparedness Conference

Online Programs

• Small Victims, Big Challenges: Pediatric Triage, Treatment and Recovery for Emergencies
• A Primary Care Provider's Guide to Post-Disaster Mental Health Screening
• Weapons of Mass Destruction: the Health Care Professional's Role in Nevada's Preparation & Response
• Geriatric Assessment, Treatment and Recovery in Emergencies & Disasters
• Smallpox and Vaccinia: The Forgotten Risk

Upcoming Live Programs

We offer many live courses that you can attend on various topics. Please visit our upcoming events page for more information on these courses.

Hot Topic

Coming Soon: Online Classes

• Radiation, Radioactivity and Irradiation: Reality and Threat

Related Links

• AB250 Certified Distance Education Order Form
• Course Suggestions? Take Our Training Needs Survey
• Get Vaccinated! Don't Get Flu. Don't Spread Flu.
• Printable List of Existing Programs
• Public Health Preparedness Education Trainer Application
• Public Health Preparedness Safety List