Community Leaders Meet with Toronto Health Officials to Discuss SARS & Pandemic Flu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2008
Contact
Julie Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Community Leaders Meet with Toronto Health Officials to Discuss SARS & Pandemic Flu
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Hosts Summit on Champaign County Emergency Preparedness
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will be hosting an Emergency Preparedness Summit on November 4, 2008 at the ILEAS Training Center at 1701 East Main Street in Urbana from 8:30am – 3:30pm. CUPHD has invited three key members from Toronto Public Health to meet with Champaign County community leaders to detail the importance of emergency preparedness in a pandemic situation, and the lessons learned from the 2003 Toronto SARS outbreak.
Toronto Health Officials will include:
- Lisa Berger - MD, CCFP, FRCPC, AMOH; Associate Medical Officer of Health
- Peter Macintyre; Manager of Emergency Medical Services
- Gerilynne F. Nephew – RN, BScN, DPA; Manager of Pandemic Influenza Planning & Preparedness
“In today’s global society, it is no longer a question of “if” there will be a full scale pandemic disaster that will affect Champaign County, but a matter of “when.’” said Julie A. Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator. “This summit is providing an incredible opportunity for our community leaders to meet and discuss emergency preparedness with professionals that have faced the challenges in their own community and can share valuable lessons and insight.”
During the summit, attendees will be divided into groups representing Health Care, Emergency Services and Community. These groups will work independently with a Toronto Official to create a framework of critical planning for each sector in the event of a full scale pandemic emergency in Champaign County. Groups will be encouraged to dissect current plans and strengthen where necessary or create new plans to address additional issues that might be brought to light through the Toronto experience. Designated attendees will then meet on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at CUPHD to participate in a pandemic tabletop exercise illustrating the plans and possible outcomes from the previous day’s training.
For more information on the Champaign County Preparedness Summit, emergency preparedness or any other CUPHD program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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