FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:   

MARGE SULLIVAN, PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, 561-833-6333

MELANIE OTERO, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026

ONSITE CONFERENCE CONTACT: LAURA JOHNSON, (301) 257-7439

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—On February 13 and 14, 2007, approximately one hundred healthcare professionals from across the U.S. will convene at the “Effective Healthcare Disaster Response - Building an Emergency Response Coalition and Learning Requirements & Protocols for Medical Preparedness” Conference at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North (6650 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL).  Leaders from Palm Beach County’s Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition (HERC), a national model for emergency preparedness, as well as other national medical experts will advise on building a comprehensive, community-wide network of healthcare professionals, emergency response personnel and local government to prepare for and respond to any mass casualty incident.  Conference topics will cover: preparedness to handle pandemic illness and biological terrorism; coping with a dirty bomb or a devastating natural disaster; assessing how hospitals and emergency services work together; and establishing a healthcare emergency preparedness program to effectively respond to a manmade or natural disaster and protect local communities.  The conference’s opening event on February 13, 2007 at 9:00 am will feature keynote speaker, Dr. John R. Krohmer, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Homeland Security

HERC was formed after anthrax spores were mailed to the Boca Raton, Florida offices of American Media, Inc., the publishers of the National Inquirer, shortly after 9/11. It was the nation's first bioterrorism attack and resulted in the first fatality.  With seed funding and ongoing support from Palm Healthcare Foundation, HERC has developed a series of hospital protocols on preparing for and responding to any mass-casualty incident, including those that result from both terrorist attacks and naturally occurring public health emergencies.

“The healthcare community in Palm Beach County, through the development of HERC, has set a national example for emergency preparedness,” said Suzette Wexner, President of Palm Healthcare Foundation and Course Co-Chairperson of the Conference.  “Having lived through a bioterrorism attack, and the recent devastation from Hurricane Wilma, we understand what it takes to develop a collaborative network that links hospitals and emergency response agencies to minimize loss of life. This conference is critical to creating the coalition and protocols that must be in place for local communities to prepare for and respond to emergencies on a mass scale.”

The conference will be taught through plenary sessions, networking opportunities and breakout sessions.  Speakers include: Jean Marie Malecki, MD, MPH, FACPM, Director, Palm Beach County Health Department; James Shultz, Ph.D., Director, Center for Disaster & Extreme Event Preparedness, University of Miami; Mary Russell EdD MSN, Research & Organizational Preparedness Specialist, Boca Raton Community Hospital; and Nicholas Vincent Cagliuso, Sr., PhD, MPH, Coordinator, Emergency Preparedness for New York – Presbyterian Healthcare System.

Major sponsors of the “Building an Effective Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition” Conference are Homeland Defense Journal and Market Access International.  The conference is managed and produced by Government*Horizons, a non-profit corporation, providing acquisition, business management and security training to commercial and government organizations world-wide.

For full conference schedule and details, please visit www.governmenthorizons.org/Effective-Healthcare-Emergency-Response.htm.  Media is admitted complimentary to keynote address and conference sessions, but must register for a press pass prior to the conference by calling Katie Smith at (703) 807-2758 or emailing ksmith@marketaccess.org.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $14 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.