Responding to the need to be prepared in the event of a biochemical attack or other form of bioterrorism, Harcum College announces it will work with the nonprofit Institute for Leadership Education, Advancement, and Development, Inc. (I-LEAD) program to develop a preparedness course for health care professionals.
The course is designed for nurses aides and other "front line" health care workers. Classes are set up at locations throughout the Delaware Valley. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the need for more preparation training at the state and local level has become more and more acute. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control notes that state and local public health systems are the first line of defense when it comes to detection, reporting and containing a terrorist attack, an infectious disease outbreak or any other public health emergency.
Harcum and I-LEAD will utilize a $16,000 grant that came to the two organizations from U.S. Department of Homeland Security via the State of Pennsylvania Department of Health. The money will be used to develop curriculum for certificate and continuing education credit courses. The academic programs will be run under Harcum's Center for Legal Studies.
"We are targeting nurses aides and other health care assistants for this training," notes David Castro, President of I-LEAD. "The goal is to have the courses available a multiple locations." He added that the course would also be available to Harcum's nursing and other Allied Health Science students.
Money from the government for bioterrorism preparedness can be used in a number of ways to improve public health and emergency response. These include improving communication and coordination between hospitals and local and state health departments and their laboratories, while bolstering epidemiology and disease surveillance in state and local areas by increasing the number of people trained in emergency response.
About I-Lead
I-LEAD is a Pennsylvania nonprofit school that seeks to help grass-roots organization leaders develop the core leadership skills that will help their communities truly succeed. I-LEAD seeks to help people build the capacities to help themselves through their own leadership. To use a metaphor from the health care field, I-LEAD does not seek to eliminate diseases or to ameliorate symptoms with band-aids, but rather to work toward creating long-term community wellness and health through leadership development. |