Health Trust offers hurricane preparedness workshop
The Puerto Rico Hurricane Response Hub announced the launch of the third edition of the Project ECHO workshop series, focusing on hurricane preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program comprises six free sessions every Wednesday from July 22 until Aug. 26, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The goal of this initiative, which is a program of the Puerto Rico Public Health Trust, is to train first responders, individuals, and organizations in the face of a hurricane season.
The project known as Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) consists of a series of workshops aimed at educating, guiding, and training the most vulnerable communities on several health issues of general interest.
“We’re excited about the success of the ECHO Project in Puerto Rico and the interest of the community and its participants,” said Leslie Maas-Cortes, director of the Hurricane Response Hub.
“This has allowed us to rapidly develop new editions in which experts participate to provide information and solutions on specific issues in a unique space where everyone teaches and everyone learns,” she said.
The ECHO project is offered through tele-mentoring sessions designed to create training for participants by bringing together subject matter experts in various areas using didactic presentations based on real cases.
Its format offers a forum and an open space between the specialist and individuals where everyone exposes their experiences and learns from the experiences of others; thus equipping communities with the right knowledge, in the right place and at the right time.
The ECHO model has been used in New Mexico, several states in the United States, and now in Puerto Rico with great success in promoting the “all learn, all teach” approach.
The topics that will be addressed in this edition are aligned to the hurricane season and its preparation. Among these are: shelter management; water use and conservation; season forecast; preparation of the personal and family emergency plan; and climate change, among others. Registration is currently open, and first responders, health and public health personnel and all those who work to provide direct service to disasters and emergencies are encouraged to participate.
