Catastrophic Event Resource Planning Workshop

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Central Shenandoah Health District, Lord Fairfax Health District, and the Institute for Infrastructure & Information Assurance at JMU present a Catastrophic Event Resource Planning Workshop

To foster dialogue among community leaders, industry and organizations in the Northwestern part of Virginia, please participate in a Catastrophic Event Resource Planning Workshop. While an all-hazards approach provides the backdrop for this workshop, we will investigate the potential impact of a catastrophic event (such as a flu pandemic) on Shenandoah Valley localities and how advance preparation can be instigated.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 (8:30 am-4:30 pm) at JMU Festival Conference & Student Center, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Who should attend?
High level planners for community resiliency, including district health planners, hospitals, city/county administrators, emergency managers, police, correctional facility managers, schools, public works, college and universities, area industry leadership, nursing home administration.

Reserve your place today!
This event is FREE, but pre-registration is required..

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

This workshop presents three presentations, with the first topic being community awareness led by Dr. Douglas Larsen, Health Director, Central Shenandoah Health District, Virginia Department of Health. The second presenter, attorney Steve Gravely, focuses on legal and ethical ramifications of decisions, and the final presentation, led by JMU Graduate Psychology’s Dr. Lennie Echterling and Dr. Anne Stewart, opens discussion on community resilience after a flu pandemic disaster.

Using a computer model of a hypothetical flu pandemic, groups will explore distribution of scarce resources and creation of guidelines, plans, and policies to assist in pre-event planning. The breakout sessions will be facilitated by Patricia Higgins, Associate Director, Information Analysis and Modeling, Institute for Infrastructure and Information Assurance.

Logistics

Workshop Logistics

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 (8:30 AM- 4:30 PM)

The CERP Workshop will be held in the Festival Student & Conference Center (ballroom) on the James Madison University Campus.

Find the Festival on the campus map. Parking is free and available in the D3 & C12 lots directly across from the entrances to the Festival center. See map for further assistance.

Schedule

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:30-9:00 AM	Registration for Workshop and coffee - Ballroom
9:00-9:15 AM	Welcome and Workshop Introductions
9:15-9:45 AM	Model Introduction & Showcase, Ms. Patricia Higgins Using a computer model of a hypothetical flu pandemic, participants will explore distribution of scarce resources and creation of guidelines, plans, and policies to assist in pre-event planning.
9:45-10:45 AM	Speaker 1: Community Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Planning, Dr. Douglas Larsen Dr. Douglas Larsen will discuss the importance of community and family preparedness from a public health perspective.
10:45-11:00 AM	BREAK
11:00-11:20 AM	Modeling Showcase continued, Patricia Higgins
11:20-12:35 PM	Speaker 2: Legal & Ethical Implications, Steven Gravely, MHA, JD. Steven Gravely, focusing on the legal and ethical ramifications of decisions, will discuss the legal implications and issues of liability that will confront local government, hospital, business and others as limited resources restrict services that are contracted to be delivered or offered.
12:35-1:00 PM	LUNCH BREAK- Ballroom & Lobby
1:00-1:20 PM	Final Modeling Showcase session, Patricia Higgins
1:20-2:35 PM	Speakers 3: Positive Psychology & Resilience, Dr. Lennie Echterling and Dr. Anne Stewart Dr. Lennie Echterling and Dr. Anne Stewart will discuss the measures a community can take in advance of a catastrophic event such as a Flu Pandemic or Hurricane Katrina to enhance its ability to become resilient and psychologically prepared instead of being chaotic.
2:35-2:50 PM	BREAK
2:50-4:10 PM	Instructions and Breakout Session For the Breakout sessions in the afternoon, these infrastructure categories will be explored through several scenarios. Participants will be encouraged to brainstorm issues, questions, planning caveats, etc. for their category. Then, these lists can be used for further planning and training. Food, Agriculture, Water Educational, Religious, and Service Institutions Energy and Chemical Industry Public Health and Emergency Service Government and Law Enforcement Information & Technology Transportation and Postal Shipping Banking and Finance
4:10-4:30 PM	Breakout Session Results and Conclusion of Workshop

Register

Bios on Conference Presenters

Dr. Douglas Larsen is Health Director for the Central Shenandoah Health District, Virginia Department of Health.

Steven Gravely --coming soon.

Dr. Lennie Echterling is the Director of counseling psychology from James Madison University's Graduate Psychology department. A liscensed clinical psychologist in the state of Virginia, with a bachelor's degree from Rockhurst College, M.S. and Ph.D from Purdue University. Early in his training at Purdue University, he helped organize a volunteer telephone hotline and crisis center. When tornadoes swept through the Midwest, Lennie worked as a disaster outreach volunteer. Since his is a member of a volunteer team that offers support to fire fighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical service providers. Following the 9/11 attacks, Lennie worked as a Red Cross volunteer with survivors at the Pentagon. More recently, he provided disaster intervention services in Mississippi and Texas following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Lennie has received the Counseling Vision and Innovation Award from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the James Madison Distinguished Faculty Award.

Dr. Anne Stewart (Professor of Graduate Psychology) Anne Stewart lifts people up. This Madison professor has witnessed firsthand the power of the human spirit and helped nurture it to face down unimaginable tragedy -- like the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and landmines. And she does it with a gentle compassion and unique sparkle. "Here, by the sea with these children," she said about her tsunami relief trip to Sri Lanka, "I understand again the resilience of children and the important contribution of play in changing a legacy of destruction and loss to a future of hope." As a licensed clinical psychologist and play therapist, Anne has devoted her career to crisis intervention, family counseling, child abuse prevention and child day care. While her work in humanitarian demining and international collaboration takes her around the world, she uses her teaching and global and local outreach activities to imbue JMU students with the skills and values they, in turn, need to help counsel and nurture the human spirit.