FEMA Training Made Available to MMHD

Anniston, Alabama – Mayers Memorial Hospital District Director of Public Relation, Valerie Lakey attended training at the Department of Homeland Security, Center for Domestic Preparedness.  Lakey along with a group of 35 other colleagues from California had the unique opportunity to receive elite FEMA training at the Noble Training Center. 

The Advanced Public Information Officer: Health and Hospital Emergencies course combined lectures, facilitated discussion, activities, and exercises, allowing participants to apply knowledge and skills to manage a Joint Information Center (JIC) in a healthcare emergency situation. The course has a healthcare focus but benefits all response disciplines.

The value of the course for participants is experiencing an actual Joint Information Center operation. The real life disaster scenario in which the participants handled information on a major disaster in a fictitious state allowed participants to:
•        Experience how different levels of government and the private sector collaborate on protective actions that need to be disseminated to the public.
•        Determine the most effective way to communicate with the public utilizing multiple mediums such as television, radio, and social media.
•        Experience how stress affects their ability to function in their disaster PIO roles.
•        Apply interpersonal skills learned in the course to enhance relationships with their community partners and the media
•        Recognize staff strengths and weaknesses to utilize everyone to their fullest potential in the JIC operation.

A side benefit to attending any course at the Center for Domestic Preparedness is the networking opportunities. Participants gain valuable insight on solving problems at their facility by hearing what other facilities are doing.

Lakey has served as the PIO at Mayers in two recent disasters and is the co-coordinator of the Disaster/Safety Program at the facility.