Michael A. McGeehin, PhD, MSPH Director, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects National Center for Environmental Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Welcome to the CDC’s clinician training program on Radiological Terrorism: Medical Response to Mass Casualties. I am Dr. Mike McGeehin, Director of the CDC’s Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects in the National Center for Environmental Health.
Over the last few years, we have all become aware of the immense challenges of responding to incidents involving mass casualties. From the events of September 11 to Hurricane Katrina, we have continued to learn from experience how we can improve the emergency response capabilities of our national healthcare system. Although this system has not been tested by a radiological terrorism, the potential is real. The purpose of this program is to provide clinician education on how to respond locally to mass casualties with potential radiological injury.
The program is designed for physicians and nurses, working in first receiver acute care environments, who have had introductory training in radiological emergency preparedness. If this topic is new to you, the CDC web site on radiation emergencies identified on the CD-ROM cover, provides sources of introductory information. This program has two parts: first, a series of lectures on potential radiological incidents, response planning, decontamination principles, triage and treatment. In Part II you have the opportunity to apply the lecture material in a series of six simulated patient case studies depicting hypothetical radiological terrorism incidents.
As new information becomes available, the CDC radiation emergencies web site will be updated. Your feedback or suggestions on our radiological terrorism preparedness initiatives would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your interest in this program.