Exercises - PH 464: Public Health Emergency Response Management

In addition to a variety of learning activities, there are 3 instructor-evaluated activities associated with PH 464: (1) complete the individual exercise; (2) participate in a multi-learner conferencing exercise; and (3) complete and submit the assessment quiz. Each of these is explained below.

Learning Activities (Note: these ARE NOT to be submitted!)

A series of individual learning exercises for this module are provided below. Completing these exercises will familiarize you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that relate to the competency expectation for this module that is described above. Note that learners are not required to submit written response for these learning exercises. Completing these exercises, however, will prepare you for components of this module that are assessed and scored.

1. The content for PH 464 is provided in:
   • Structure and Management of Health Management (Chapter 3, pp 33-48) in Public Health Management of Disasters. LY Landesman. Washington DC; APHA; 2001.
   • Disaster Communications (Chapter 6, pp 73-80 ) in Public Health Management of Disasters. LY Landesman. Washington DC; APHA; 2001.
   • Basic Incident Command System (FEMA self-study course in PDF format)
   • Disaster Response: Principles of Preparation and Coordination (Chapters 5,6,7,and 8 of this online text). Erik auf der Heide. Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.
2. Describe the role of your agency and at least 4 other agencies that work in conjunction with your agency in public health emergencies.
3. Describe your own specific role for several different public health emergency situations.
4. What are the basic functions that a health department should perform in response to an emergency or disaster? When should a health department identify these functions?
5. What public health resources are available at the federal, state, or local level in an emergency or disaster? How would you go about requesting these resources?
6. Review the case study, Exercise Bio-Threat: Biological Preparedness - Bison County, North Dakota. Were all the appropriate entities involved in this exercise? In what ways would this exercise have been different if these other entities had been involved? What recommendations would you offer for better management of this exercise?

Evaluated Activities (Note: these ARE to be submitted!)

(1) Individual Exercise

Each learner will submit a brief response to the following exercise. When you have completed this exercise, send a note to the instructor via the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 464 Individual Exercises" as the title of your submission.

Complete the FEMA self-study course. There are two options for doing this: (a) download the modified course materials for the Basic Incident Command System in PDF format from this course site or (b) register at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute web site and complete the various components of the course online there. The final examination for the Incident Command System material will be handled through the PH 464 Assessment Quiz. (Learners completing this course through the FEMA web site may also choose to submit a final examination directly to FEMA in order to receive a certificate of completion from FEMA. However, this would be in addition to their responsibility to complete the PH 464 Assessment Quiz and is entirely optional. If you choose to do this, follow the instructions in the course materials and at the web site.)

(2) Conferencing Exercise

For this conferencing exercise, produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 464 Conferencing Exercises" as the title of your submission.

After reviewing the responses of other learners, provide your own response to the following:

• First identify a public health emergency event or threat that differs from those selected by the other course participants who have already responded to this exercise.
• Next, for that specific public health emergency event or threat, describe how public health personnel would be expected to integrate with the Incident Command System or Incident Management System? (e.g., what section might a public health professional work under? In what capacity? What information or resources would the public health professional be expected to share?)

(3) Assessment Quiz

Follow the LearningSpace link to the Assessment Quiz. You may be asked for your login ID and password to access the quiz through your Preparedness Center Personal Page. Complete the quiz and submit your responses. You make take the quiz several times.

Course Evaluation: All learners are asked to electronically complete a Course Evaluation Questionnaire; this is available to you as an electronic form and will be transmitted to a data base without your identity being known, and your instructor will have no way to link your identity to your comments. Before participating in these course evaluation activities, students should review the specific learning objectives established for this course (and others you may have taken as part of this series); these are available in the Syllabus. Evaluation of the course should focus on the extent to which these objectives were achieved.

PH 464 Exercises last revised February 3, 2006 (dkapadia)