Pacific EMPRINTS-NDLS-Pacific Regional Center brings training to Majuro

A team of five University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa National Disaster Life Support (NDLS) certified instructors that are part of the Pacific EMPRINTS program flew to the Marshall Islands during January 2010 to conduct courses in Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) and Advanced Disaster Life Support (ADLS). Over a three-day period, the team trained forty-five (45) health professionals, emergency responders and other key health personnel selected by the Majuro Ministry of Health. 

“These trainings will help health professionals better prepare and respond to natural, technological, terrorist and other public health emergencies such as pandemic influenzas and other infectious diseases,” said Ann Sakaguchi, Pacific EMPRINTS and National Disaster Life Support (NDLS)-Pacific Regional Center Director.

The BDLS didactic course lays the foundation for emergency management responders and health care professionals to address disaster readiness in a uniform, coordinated approach to mass casualty management and other public health emergencies.

The ADLS is an advanced practicum course that allows students to demonstrate competencies in casualty decontamination, specific disaster skills and mass casualty incident information systems/technology applications. The course incorporates four interactive sessions in which participants treat simulated patients in various disaster drills and situations applying the knowledge learned in BDLS.

These two courses, which incorporate an all hazards approach, have been vetted by subject matter experts and nationally recognized health professionals from across the United States. Those successfully completing the training receive continuing medical education credits from the American Medical Association.

The team consisted of NDLS-certified instructors: Dr. William Haning, Jr. (Director of Graduate Affairs at the John A. Burns School of Medicine), Dr. Elizabeth Char (Director of City and County of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services), Christopher Crabtree, MPA (Paramedic and Faculty Member at Kapiʻolani Community College’s Emergency Medical Services); Anna Daddario, MSW (Social Worker and Program and Training Coordinator at Pacific EMPRINTS) and Ann Sakaguchi, M.P.H., PhD. (Faculty, College of Social Sciences, UH Mānoa and Director of Pacific EMPRINTS and NDLS Pacific Regional Center.)  

Pacific EMPRINTS (Emergency Management Preparedness and Response Information Network and Training Services) is a consortium of fourteen organizations, which was established in late 2005 with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources Services Administration.  Today, it has grown to a premier disaster preparedness and management training program in the Pacific region.  In addition, since 2008 Pacific EMPRINTS has been designated as the National Disaster Life Support (NDLS) Regional Center under the American Medical Association, one of thirty-five (35) such centers in the U.S, and the only center in the Pacific region, focusing its trainings efforts within the State of Hawaiʻi and the surrounding Pacific region. 

In addition to its NDLS training, Pacific EMPRINTS offers 60+ online and podcast courses, 11 problem-based learning and 16 GIS/GPS courses, 50+ informational lectures, mini-simulation and live training exercises and annual conferences to address preparing for and responding to natural disasters and technological hazards. Enrollments in its courses are from the Pacific region, Hawaiʻi as well as all of the other forty-nine(49) states. More information about Pacific EMPRINTS and the training opportunities it offers can be found at www.emprints.hawaii.edu.  Pacific EMPRINTS is currently funded by the Hawaiʻi State Civil Defense.