[ RadSafe ] Department of Health and Human Services Online Toolkit: Medical Response to Radiation Emergencies

[Emily Bain]

Good morning,
FYI United States Department of Health and Human Services new tool: radiation emergency medical response tool (please refer to the following note). 
Best regards,
Emily Bain

Date:  March 8, 2007
For Release:  Immediately
Contact:  HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

Headline:  HHS LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE TOOLKIT FOR MEDICAL RESPONSES TO
RADIATION EMERGENCIES

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) has developed a new downloadable online diagnostic
and treatment toolkit designed for health care providers, primarily
physicians, who may have to provide medical care during a radiation
incident. 

The new information package includes easy-to-follow procedures for
diagnosis and management of radiation contamination and exposure,
guidance for the use of radiation medical countermeasures, and a variety
of other features to facilitate medical responses. All of this is now
available on the Radiation Event Medical Management (REMM) Web site
(http://REMM.NLM.GOV). 
 
"The REMM toolkit is part of our effort to improve public health
emergency preparedness and response," Secretary Leavitt said. "It
reflects the department's commitment to help instill a spirit of
preparedness throughout our nation."

Guidance on diagnosis and treatment will help health care providers by
describing:
*	types of radiation emergencies they may face
*	initial medical actions at the incident site and or medical
facility
*	key steps in patient care 

Critical information is presented in a format that will quickly and
efficiently orient and guide health care providers during a mass
casualty radiation event. In addition to online access, federal, state
and local medical response teams will be able to download REMM
information on laptop computers for quick access when they are deployed
to a radiation incident or for training sessions. Users can also
register for automatic e-mail updates whenever information is changed or
added to the REMM Web site.

Future plans include formatting the REMM material for use on Personal
Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, additional multimedia graphics, and
more topic areas, such as follow-up patient care of radiation's chronic
effects. 
  
A team of subject matter experts from the HHS' Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the National Institutes of
Health's National Cancer Institute and National Library of Medicine and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated on the
development and design of the REMM tool.

-- 
Emily Bain
Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Kenyon College
101 Allen House
Gambier, OH 43022-9623
T 740/ 427-5575
F 740/ 427-5427