Training and Exercise Design

The DHS Learning Center (LC)
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• The DHS Learning Center is the central online training resource for Public Health Preparedness.  Public Health Partnters can self-register on the "LC" and select to take a wide variety of online or classroom based courses.  The LC tracks all users using a web-based training tracker. 

The Public Health Training Network (PHTN)
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• The Public Health Training Network (PHTN) is a distance learning system that takes training to the learner. PHTN uses a variety of instructional media ranging from print-based to videotape and multimedia to meet the training needs of the public health workforce nationwide. Since 1993, PHTN has delivered nearly 1,000,000 training opportunities to professionals in public health settings and, increasingly, in healthcare and related settings.

• The Noble Training Center, under the U.S. Public Health Service of the Department and Health and Human Services (DHHS), provides training for hospital and other healthcare workers in planning and response to bioterrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction and other disaster events.

• The CDC's Public Health Practice Program Office (PHPPO) provides up-to-date training products for emergency preparedness and response on their web-site. Some products include topics such as risk communication, biological agents and laboratory preparedness.

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a compendium of training courses compiled to inform state and local agencies of federal training that is available in the area of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). These courses are all available to state and local responders. This compendium is updated, as new courses become available.

• The Public Health Agency Role in Incident Command Systems is a new public health preparedness and response workshop offered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), CDC, and FEMA. Workshops are scheduled April 11th, 2003 in Austin, Texas; and June 7th, 2003 in Reno, Nevada. This broad-based training program is geared to the needs of most public health workers as well as local and state public health agency staff. Hospital staff may also find this information relevant for their everyday work environment. There is no fee for these courses, but anyone who wishes to attend must register online.

• The Northwest Center for Public Health Practice has recently produced a series of bioterrorism preparedness training materials for health workers. The series, "Preparing for and Responding to Bioterrorism: Information for Primary Care Clinicians", consists of seven PowerPoint slide sets, each accompanied by a detailed instructor's manual, that address the medical and public health aspects of bioterrorism. For more information see:

• The University of Colorado at Boulder provides preparedness resources and information on national training courses.

• The Public Health Foundation (PHF) offers a selection of distance learning courses on bioterrorism and emergency preparedness.

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