Preparing and Educating Ahead of Disaster

Sacramento County's Department of Health Services (DHS) is taking a proactive approach by providing four Nurse Disaster Worker Trainings to ensure County nurses are prepared and well-educated ahead of a disaster.

According to Director of Public Health Nursing, Lynnan Svensson, this training is important because, in an emergency, County public health nurses would move into a situation that's different than their normal workday and comfort level. By collaborating with local nursing professionals, our nurses will be equipped to provide safe and effective care to our community.

The four-part nurse training series covers a range of topics, including disaster readiness, a clinical refresher and training for shelter leaders.

In March, DHS held its third training event, partnering with California State University Sacramento's School of Nursing faculty, local hospital nurses, nursing honor society members, and student nurses to provide three sessions of the Nurse Disaster Worker Clinical Skills Refresher which began with a classroom lecture followed by lab work.

"We went through a little bit of dyadic information, as far as taking care of nonobvious emergencies, in shelter situations. They will also be practicing some hands-on skills, basic patient assessments, mobility, how to use some of the equipment, and how to use some of the first aid equipment that's going to be available to some of these nurses," said Laura Cravens-Ray, Assistant Professor, California State University, Sacramento.

"Something I really wanted to learn, even before this, was wound care. So, I am really glad that we got to learn," said Darya Eslamian, Public Health Nurse II at Sacramento County. "It's very important to have these trainings so when a disaster does happen, we are not trying to scramble and trying to learn everything. We are as ​prepared as possible."

To learn more about the third part of the nurse disaster training series, which included collaboration efforts with Sacramento State, watch the "Sacramento County Nurses Prepare for Disasters with a Training in Partnership with Sac State" on the County YouTube channel​. More information regarding the fourth part of the training series will be provided as it becomes available.​​