January 19, 2006
Preparing for a pandemic: Conference addresses regional response
What happens if a pandemic flu strikes the Pacific Northwest? How will the region respond?
As part of disaster management preparation, Harborview Medical Center and Public Health-Seattle and King County are sponsoring a one day Regional Pandemic Flu Conference, Monday, Jan. 30.
Registration for the conference is currently full.
The conference will be Webcast and later broadcast on UWTV and the Research Channel. Check Harborview’s Web site (http://www.uwmedicine.org/Facilities/Harborview/) for updates on login info and air dates.
The conference, designed for clinicians and hospital administrators, will feature regional and national experts who will address issues facing the Northwest in case of pandemic flu outbreak. Topics include community coordination, infection control in the health care setting, an update on antiviral drugs, health care facilities preparation, patient care issues, and palliative care.
Speakers from Harborview include Dr. Scott Barnhart, medical director; Johnese Spisso, chief operating officer; Chris Martin, chair of the Disaster Management Committee; Dr. Michael Copass, medical director of Emergency Services; and Darrell Owens, of the Palliative Care Consult Service. Drs. Jeffrey Duchin, chief of communicable disease control, Public Health-Seattle and King County; and Arjun Srinivasan and David Shay, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will also present.
A panel discussion on local pandemic flu planning follows the presentations. Panelists will include representatives from Harborview, UW Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, and Virginia Mason Medical Center. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Mac Hooton, professor of medicine in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The conference is funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
DVDs of the conference will likely be available by mid-March. For more information, call 206-731-6396 or e-mail clined@u.washington.edu.
