|
53 Hospital Laboratories Honored for Emergency Preparedness Training MADISON – Reinforcing their commitment to their communities, 53 hospital and clinical laboratories around the state have qualified for the Certificate of Achievement for Laboratory Training in Emergency Preparedness from the Wisconsin Clinical Laboratory Network (WCLN – formerly known as the Wisconsin Laboratory Response Network). The certificate program began in 2006. The WCLN is a network of more than 130 clinical laboratories in Wisconsin, with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) as the coordinating laboratory. The WCLN is a subset of the national Laboratory Response Network (LRN), a collaborative, voluntary system of laboratories that are equipped to respond quickly to acts of chemical or biological terrorism, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health threats and emergencies. Laboratories in the WCLN have three primary roles in emergency response: 1) recognition of unusual organisms in patient specimens; 2) ruling out unusual organisms according to the laboratory’s testing capabilities and protocols; and 3) referral of unusual organisms to the WSLH in those cases where a bioterrorism agent or other unusual organism cannot be ruled out. The WCLN developed a series of four laboratory examination modules (Biosafety, Emergency Laboratory Response, Packaging and Shipping Samples, and Laboratory Diagnostics for Bioterrorism) to document laboratory training achievements in emergency preparedness. To qualify for the award, at least two members of laboratory staff must successfully complete each module. There is no deadline for participation in the voluntary training program, so more laboratories are expected to qualify for the award in the future. The laboratories that have qualified for the honor so far are (alphabetical by city): • Langlade Memorial Hospital, Antigo
More than just emergency preparednessAlthough the WCLN was created to facilitate the response to acts of terrorism, according to WCLN Coordinator Carol Kirk its impact extends beyond emergency preparedness. “Hospital and clinical laboratories in Wisconsin play a vital role in State and local public health agencies’ ability to respond to food-borne outbreaks,” Kirk explains. “WCLN members swiftly send to the State Lab of Hygiene isolates of E. coli O157:H7, salmonella and other enteric pathogens from ill patients. This enables the WSLH to rapidly identify the matching ‘DNA fingerprints’ from multiple patients and help local, state and sometimes national public health agencies respond effectively.” The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene commends the staff and leadership of the laboratories that have qualified for the award, both for their commitment to emergency preparedness and their contributions to public health in Wisconsin.
Written By: Jan Klawitter, WSLH Public Affairs and Training Manager
|
||||||||||
