Contact: Richard P. Gulla
Tel: 781-434-7101
Email: rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. -- May 28 -- The bombings at the Boston marathon in April are the latest example that disasters, whether natural or man-made, can happen at any time, with little or no warning. The response to that crisis by medical personnel and first responders also demonstrated how critical preparedness is when reacting to emergencies.
With the Marathon bombings as the starting point for discussion, the June edition of Physician Focus with the Massachusetts Medical Society examines the specialty of disaster medicine with two board-certified emergency medicine physicians who are experts in disaster medicine.
Among the areas covered in conversation are: How medical personnel and first responders prepare for such events; the kinds of training and resources that are necessary; the reasons why Boston responded so well to the bombings; how medical personnel and citizens can participate in disaster response, how battlefield experience in wars and cooperation from other countries lead to improved preparation and response; and the role of bystanders in responding to emergencies.
Guests are Mary-Elise Manuell, M.D., Director of the Division of Disaster Medicine and Emergency Management at UMass Memorial Medical Center and Director of the Center of Excellence for Emergency Preparedness, Education, and Training at UMass Medical School in Worcester, Mass.; and Paul Biddinger, M.D., Chief of the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Medical Director of Emergency Department Operations at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. and Chair of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Committee on Preparedness. Hosting this program is James Kenealy, M.D., a physician at MetroWest ENT Associates in Framingham, Mass.
Physician Focus is a noncommercial production of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Hopkinton (Mass.) Community Access Television, HCAM-TV. Now in its ninth year, the monthly half-hour program brings viewers health and medical information on timely topics from physicians and other healthcare experts. Distributed as a public service, the program reaches some 275 communities in Massachusetts each month through the courtesy of public access television stations. For details on the program, visit the home page at www.physicianfocus.org.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 24,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical journals; the Journal Watch family of professional newsletters covering 11 specialties; and AIDS Clinical Care. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more information, visit www.massmed.org.
HCAM-TV was founded April 1, 2004 by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Hopkinton as a nonprofit corporation to manage local access to cable broadcast facilities. For information on HCAM, visit http://www.hcam.tv
