CARSON CITY - Emergency response leaders from rural and frontier counties of Nevada will gather at the Fallon Convention Center May 30-31 for a Public Health Rural Emergency Preparedness Summit.
The Summit is funded by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rural state lawmaker Pete Goicoechea has been a major champion of the summit.
Expert presenters at the Summit will provide guidance on preparedness and encourage collaboration among counties for preventing and handling public health emergencies and disasters.
In addition to the presentations, the summit will feature tabletop exercises so that participants can practice responding to incidents such as a public health or weather emergency in a rural county.
"Of Nevada's total population, about 11 percent reside in the frontier and rural communities, but that area represents 87 percent of our land mass," said Tracey D. Green, M.D., state health officer. "Most of these communities are long distances from a major health center, which presents extra challenges during medical emergencies."
Many Nevadans are aware how emergencies in rural areas can quickly overwhelm local responders. County resources are aggravated by remote geographic locations, extreme conditions and limited resources characteristic of remote areas.
Hence, partners are vital when counties plan, train, and exercise emergency preparedness. In light of federal budget consolidation and decreased funding, the Public Health Rural Emergency Preparedness Summit is an opportunity for rural partners to learn more about the issues related to emergency response.[[In-content Ad]]
