Academic, Government, and Industry Collaboration

for Disaster Preparedness:

A Partnership Perspective on Medical Preparedness

Janet M. Williams, MD; FACEP; Floyd K. Russell, EdD; and Clarence D. Stamper, Jr.

International Telemedicine Collaboratory^TM/SM – Virtual Medical Campus^TM/SM

West Virginia University

I. Introduction

Congress, in the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Act, identified the need for domestic preparedness against weapons of mass destruction. The Federal Response Plan states that federal agencies need to partner with "...the private sector to take advantage of all (emphasis added) existing resources."

To help address the need for medical preparedness against terrorism, West Virginia University, in partnership with industry and government, has established a Virtual Medical Campus^TM/SM (VMC^TM/SM) in Morgantown, West Virginia.

 

II. Learning Objectives

A. Session participants will understand the organization of the Virtual Medical Campus as an academic, industry, government partnership for helping the nation become prepared for terrorist or similar acts.

B. Session participants will be able to identify opportunities for participation in the Virtual Medical Campus.

 

III. Discussion

The purpose of the Virtual Medical Campus is to help focus the national capability to:

1. Improve the preparedness of the medical community for response to terrorist or other events, through education, training, and certification.
2. Facilitate medical community participation in federal, state, and local planning and decision making, as related to terrorist or similar events.
3. Establish a national information-delivery infrastructure to accomplish the above.

An on-line Integrated Knowledge Base (IKB^TM/SM) will support these functions, serve as a training repository, and provide access to medical information assets for rapidly updating training, and facilitate medical response to a terrorist or similar event. Members of the WVU’s academic, industry, and government partnership, the International Telemedicine Collaboratory, will provide assistance for development of the VMC.

Collaboration can focus clinical and basic sciences knowledge and practical expertise from medical centers, veterinary schools, government agencies, and emergency response programs for knowledge integration and rapid response to disaster events. Benefits of collaboration include:

Benefits of Collaboration

• Focuses expertise from many disciplines and operational capabilities.
• Provides for voluntary development and acceptance of exemplary products, service, and programs.
• Establishes basis for sharing critical information to help meet a national need for medical preparedness.

Collaboration opportunities for the VMC include the following areas:

IKB Participation

• Development of the Integrated Knowledge Base.
• Linkages with existing data and knowledge sources.
• Connectivity as alpha and beta sites for development and testing.
• Market products and training service through the VMC IKB.

Products and Services

• Market products and training services through the VMC IKB.
• Provide products and services on a fee recovery basis or subsidized basis through metered access.
• Access products, services, and training materials on a fee basis or on a subsidized basis.

Affiliated Programs Development

• Medical Responder training and certification.
• Specialized data bases.
• Product and service registries.
• Training registries.
• Collaborative R&D efforts in related areas.

 

IV. Summary

To address the need for medical preparedness against terrorism or similar events, West Virginia University (WVU) in partnership with industry and government, has established the Virtual Medical Campus (VMC) in Morgantown, West Virginia. The purpose of the VMC is to help focus the national capability to: (1) improve Medical Responder preparedness for response to terrorist or similar events, through education, training, and certification; (2) facilitate medical community participation in federal, state, and local planning and decision making, as related to terrorist or similar events; and, (3) establish a national information-delivery infrastructure, to accomplish the above.

There is great diversity among programs that provide training and resources for preparedness against terrorist and similar events. Collaboration among academic, industry, and government groups is highly desirable. The Virtual Medical Campus is both a resource and an integrating interface for organizations that see benefit in collaboration.

 

V. References

APIC Bioterrorism Task Force and CDC Hospital Infections Program Bioterrorism Working Group. (April 13, 1999). Bioterrorism Readiness Plan: A Template for Healthcare facilities. Accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/Bio/bio.htm, March 19, 2000.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (February 7, 1997). Terrorism Incident Annex to the Federal Response Plan. Accessed at http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd39_frp.htm. March 19, 2000.

Wenger, E. C. and Snyder, W. M. (2000). Communities of Practice: The Organizational Frontier. Harvard Business Review, January-February, 2000, 139-145.

White House. (June 21, 1995). U.S. Policy on Counter Terrorism: Presidential Decision Directive 39 (Unclassified). Washington, DC. Accessed at http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/pdd39.htm, March 19, 2000

White House. (May 22, 1998). WHITE PAPER: The Clinton Administration’s Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection: Presidential Decision Directive 63 (Unclassified). Washington, DC. Accessed at http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/white_pr.htm, March 19, 2000.

 

VI. Attachments

None.

 

Contact Information:

Dr. Williams is Director, Center for Rural Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the School if Medicine, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. Dr. Russell is Director, Virtual Medical Campus, Academic Co-Chair of the International Telemedicine Collaboratory, and Assistant Professor, Community Medicine in the School of Medicine. Mr. Stamper is Senior Account Executive with EDS and Industry Co-Chair of the International Telemedicine Collaboratory.

For additional information, please contact:

Floyd K. Russell

West Virginia University

Virtual Medical Campus

PO Box 6270

Morgantown, WV 26506-6270

304-293-5998 (Voice)

304-293-7498 (FAX)

info@vmc.wvu.edu