U.S. provides Disaster Public Health course to coalition partners

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes
  • MEDCEUR 11 Public Affairs
CAMP PEPELISHTE, Macedonia --  A mobile education team from the Defense Institute for Medical Operations provided a Disaster Public Health course to Central and Eastern European military and civilian students June 6 to 9.

This was part of the 2011 Medical Training Exercise in Central and Eastern Europe, an annual Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-sponsored regional and multilateral exercise, held in the spirit of NATO's Partnership for Peace.

Thirty-six students from Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro participated in a classroom lecture series and practical laboratory exercises in public health, to include epidemiology, entomology, environmental health and health policy.

"The students [covered] different natural disaster scenarios, which gave the knowledge and skills on how to plan, manage and design disaster response," said Lt. Col. Pauline Lucas, U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine public health consultant.

The four-day course included lessons on weapons of mass destruction concepts, dealing with civilian organizations and disaster assessments. The students also learned public health response basics and outbreak investigations, as well as influenza preparedness.

In addition, the course included environmental health issues, psychosocial aspects of a disaster, and ensuing trauma and the clinical aspect of diseases that medical professionals may witness after a disaster.

"This course brings together medical professionals from this region to work together and build interoperability so that when there is a disaster, they know each other, how to work together and help each other in a faster response," said Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Kays, 48th Aerospace Medicine Squadron superintendent from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, and a DIMO instructor.

As part of the learning process, the students were split into groups and given hands-on group exercises, homework assignments as well as presentations.

"The class has a wide spectrum of students," Sergeant Kays said. "It gives them an opportunity to, not only learn from us, but also work together and teach others about their own processes and procedures and how they manage the disaster, patient care and how they would approach a specific situation. It is a great learning environment."

Slovenian armed forces Sgt. Maj. Arpad Pinter, medical technician and platoon NCO, said that working with other countries is beneficial not only to his country but the region as well.

"I think the goal of this class is to work altogether in one standard procedure," Sergeant Major Pinter said. "I think the [purpose] is for multinational forces to work together as one. It's good to work with many countries. For our countries to work together is better for us and the region."

Sergeant Kays said the students have been involved in the class.

"They are not starting from zero here," he said. "They have a great capability. What we are bringing to the table is that interoperability. Bringing them together is a great opportunity for the participants to work together to build an enduring relationship that will support each other during a potential disaster."