The 23rd Annual Emergency Preparedness Summit kicked off on Tuesday afternoon, March 24. Several hundred Virginia Department of Health (VDH) staff members participated in these educational sessions, including health directors, emergency preparedness coordinators, business managers, epidemiologists, nurse managers and Medical Reserve Corp leaders.
The event began with opening remarks from Robert Mauskapf, MPA, Colonel, USMC (ret.), director of emergency preparedness with VDH, followed by the Presentation of Colours by the Henrico Police Honor Guard.
VDH’s State Health Commissioner, B. Cameron Webb, MD, JD, welcomed the group with an impactful motto that he learned during his childhood. “Stay ready, and you don’t have to get ready.”
He reflected on his fifth day on the job as health commissioner when emergency preparedness was center stage as severe winter weather blanketed the state. Other key messages he highlighted included strengthening fiscal, administrative and operational readiness through requesting, receiving and distributing resources. Dr. Webb stressed the importance of regional partnerships and said, “Collaboration is the heart of public health.” He also reminded the audience that “equity is at the core of our work,” and it is vital to sustain the public health workforce. He continued, “Investing in people is preparedness,” and “people are the power of our response.”
The session continued with the Medical Reserve Corps presenting their Engage, Partner, Innovated and Champion (E.P.I.C.) awards.
The keynote address was presented by senior staff members with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). Lisa Peterson, MPH, senior director of preparedness and Jeff Ekoma, senior director for government affairs, shared their insights on advocacy taking place at the federal level.
One highlight of the Emergency Preparedness Summit is to present those in attendance with a crisis scenario. Participants divide into groups based on their individual regions and discuss the processes and challenges that would occur related to distribution of resources and communication.
Following the two-hour interactive discussion among the groups, the final 30 minutes of the day was dedicated to recapping the highlights and potential roadblocks that would need to be addressed during an actual crisis.
Day 2 will include a keynote address on artificial intelligence (AI) and public health and breakout sessions of different topics for the afternoon session.