THURS-050 - Mobilizing Students: Public Health Emergency Planning Response in South Carolina
Thursday, April 17, 2025
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM PST
Location: Pacific I/II, 2nd Floor
Area of Responsibility: Area VII: Leadership and Management Subcompetencies: 5.2 Engage coalitions and stakeholders in addressing the health issue and planning advocacy efforts., 5.2.3 Create formal and/or informal alliances, task forces, and coalitions to address the proposed change. Research or Practice: Practice
Assistant Professor Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Demonstrate a viable model of emergency preparedness and response that leverages the enhanced uptake of online learning to create a cadre of future public health professionals.
Showcase the ability of creating multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder partnerships that align global evidence with,local community needs.
Brief Abstract Summary: * Discover the power of online learning in training the next generation of public health professionals * Hear about national and state training outcomes aligning with local needs * Gain perspectives of enhancing Medical Reserve Corps enrollment * Discover how students can enrich their lives with experience in the public health field, networking opportunities with state and local agencies as well as developing their own professional identities and confidence. * Get a perspective of how communities served gain an enhanced resiliency in managing disaster preparedness and response
Detailed abstract description: Coastal Carolina University (CCU) Public Health Program was a subgrant award recipient during 2022-2024 from the Clemson University School of Nursing in a project with the objective of developing a network of undergraduate students who can organize events in their local communities to empower them to manage disasters and emergencies. Inclusion criteria for students were a Sophomore, Junior or Senior status, at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and submission of a cohesive narrative outlining their interest in emergency preparedness. 81 students, spread over four cohorts, participated.
These students received 20 hours of online training on behavioral health self-care, program management, culturally competent health care delivery and health equity through Clemson University and public health emergency management education through the Federal Emergency Management agency (FEMA) and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
Students applied their learnings in immersion activities from 7/1/2022 to 2/1/2024 with the strategic engagement of DHEC, Horry County Council on Aging, Horry County Libraries and local community sites. These activities included tabling events, meal deliveries with Meals on Wheels, outreach activities for veterans and “People Living Outside”. Emergency kits to help families navigate emergencies were prepared as demonstration aids and sets of validated, evidence-based health preparedness communication materials were distributed to enhance recall value for community members and help create their own preparedness kits. Project participants received the American College of Surgeons’ ‘Stop The Bleed’ training and certification at two events at CCU. A ‘Point Of Dispensing’ (POD) medical counter-measure drill performance training was organized by DHEC at CCU. Participants attended the South Carolina Public Health Association annual conference 2023 and the end of project conference at Medical University of South Carolina. All the project participants who attended the latter conference provided positive responses of the project’s perceived impact on them.
Evaluation shows cross collaborative communication activities impacted in 1388 community members. With online learning efforts to enrich public health and emergency management skill and knowledge of undergraduate college students can be achieved through guided engagement in a primarily online, 27-clock hour, learning endeavor. This subproject envisions a viable model of emergency preparedness and response through a mix of online training and face-to-face immersive activities. Enrollment in the Medical Reserve Corps engages students in real life emergency response and provides opportunities to collaborate with the SC Dept of Public Health. Students earn ed networking opportunities with state and local agencies and developed their professional identities. Communities were empowered with an enhanced resiliency in managing disaster preparedness and response.
