The Institute for Disaster Management at the University of Georgia College of Public Health has received $1.6 million in civil money penalty funds from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to better prepare certified long-term care facilities’ staff to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.
The world is facing multiple health challenges. To address these and other threats, 2019 is the start of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new 5-year strategic plan – the 13th General Programme of Work. Here are 10 of the many issues that will demand attention from WHO and other health partners in 2019.
A group of five graduate students from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) – across the physics, electrical engineering, and defense analysis departments – came up with a new way to acoustically detect small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) when they participated in, and won, the Army Futures Command’s “A-Hack-of-the-Drones” hackathon.
When people are in the early stages of an undiagnosed disease, immediate tests that lead to treatment are the best first steps. A technique using microneedles able to draw relatively large amounts of interstitial fluid – a liquid that lurks just under the skin – opens new possibilities. The new method’s larger draws could be more effective in rapidly measuring exposure to chemical and biological warfare agents, as well as diagnosing cancer and other diseases.
The City of Los Angeles, under the oversight of Mayor Eric Garcetti and built on the ShakeAlert system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, has released ShakeAlertLA, a mobile application that sends alerts to users within Los Angeles County that an earthquake of greater than magnitude 5.0 or Level IV intensity has been detected and that they may soon feel shaking.
ERADA Technology Alliance have announced the imminent launch of a world first diagnostic saliva test for malaria. The saliva-based diagnostic tool, to be marketed by ERADA as a Saliva-based Malaria Asymptomatic and Asexual Rapid Test (SMAART) for subclinical infection, is set to transform malaria detection worldwide in the fight against one of the globe’s most deadly diseases.
The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Preparedness Course is a five-day course designed to give federal, state, and local officials information on how to best plan and prepare for a public health emergency and how to use and manage the Strategic National Stockpile in response to a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or technological accident.
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense welcomed former White House Homeland Security Advisor, Lisa Monaco, as a panel member. Monaco served as Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism between 2013 and 2017. She replaces outgoing panel member, former Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, who was recently elected to serve as a U.S. Representative for the 27th District in Florida.
On Friday, December 28, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the “Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP): Managing Threats and Protecting Patients” publication. The four-volume publication aims to provide voluntary cybersecurity practices to healthcare organizations of all types and sizes, ranging from local clinics to large hospital systems.
As 2018 ends, Puerto Rico’s transformation from hurricanes Irma and Maria has pivoted toward making the island stronger and more resilient. The island’s long-term recovery envisions enhanced infrastructure and communities more capable of withstanding events like the 2017 hurricanes. The government of Puerto Rico and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have collaborated on several recovery projects that meet these objectives.
