Updated: 05/24/2004
 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ):

• Web-assisted Audioconference Calls - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is conducting a series of free Web-assisted audioconference calls on bioterrorism and health system preparedness. These calls are designed to share the latest health services research findings, promising practices, and other important information with State and local health officials and key health systems decisionmakers.  For more information, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/biotconf.htm.

• Bioterrorism and Health System Preparedeness Issues Briefs - Support of bioterrorism research and knowledge transfer is a natural outgrowth of ongoing efforts by the AHRQ to develop and disseminate evidence-based information aimed at improving the quality of the U.S. health care system.  For current list of Briefs available, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulp/btbriefs/. 
  

• The AHRQ has issued four new briefs on bioterrorism and health system preparedness:
  
• Addressing the Smallpox Threat: Issues, Strategies, and Tools;
• Disaster Planning Drills and Readiness Assessment;
• Optimizing Surge Capacity: Hospital Assessment and  Planning and Optimizing Surge Capacity;
• Regional Efforts in Bioterrorism Readiness.

• New AHRQ tool helps hospitals evaluate disaster-training drills.  HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released a free tool to help hospitals evaluate their disaster training drills. Developed by the Evidence-based Practice Center at Johns Hopkins University, the tool helps hospitals identify their strengths and weaknesses during a disaster drill and improve their ability to meet required emergency management plans. Areas assessed include pre-drill planning, incident command, decontamination, triage and treatment. The tool also includes checklists to help hospitals tailor drills to specific health threats, such as a biological or radiation incidents, and a spreadsheet to track and compare drill performance among hospital units or hospitals. The resource, "Evaluation of Hospital Disaster Drills: A Module-Based Approach," is available from the agency as a notebook with accompanying CD-ROM by calling (800) 358-9295 and referencing AHRQ Publication No. 04-0032. It also can be downloaded online at http://www.ahrq.gov/research/hospdrills/hospdrill.htm.
  

American College of Emergency Physicians -  http://www.acep.org/

American Red Cross -  http://www.redcross.org/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mass Trauma Preparedness and Response - http://www.cdc.gov/masstrauma/default.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Public Health Strategy for Terrorism Preparedness and Response - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/tprstrategy/index.asp

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fact Sheet - Smallpox - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/basics/outbreak.asp

Delaware Department of Emergency Management -  http://www.state.de.us/dema/index.htm

Delaware Division of Public Health - Bioterrorism Preparedness - http://www.state.de.us/dhss/dph/bio/plan.html

Delaware Division of Public Health - Biological & Chemical Chart - (Word document) Approved for Publication 01/15/2004

Delaware Division of Public Health - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Information Page - www.state.de.us/dhss/main/hottopics/sars.html

Food and Drug Administration - Counterrorism -  http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/bioterrorism.html

Federal Emergency Management Agency -  http://www.fema.gov/
 

If there is some information which you would like to see added to this disaster/terrorism preparedness resource page, please contact Christine Pauley at the Delaware Healthcare Association at christinep@deha.org.