The Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events will host a series of regional workshops on “Standards of Care.”

These workshops will take place in Irvine, Calif. (March 12); Orlando, Fla. (April 14); New York, N.Y. (April 27); and Chicago, Ill. (May 8). The purpose of this workshop series is to illuminate the progress and successes of efforts underway to establish local, state, and regional standards of care protocols. In addition, the planning committee is hoping the workshops will help to improve regional efforts by facilitating a dialog and coordination between neighboring jurisdictions.

The workshops will feature invited presentations and panel discussions organized around topics such as current efforts to establish local and state standards of care protocols, roles and responsibilities of key provider communities, and interstate and neighboring community cooperation and coordination. In order to facilitate dialog and coordination, the planning committee encourages regional leaders in the field of medical and public health preparedness to participate in the workshop held in their region.

The Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness was established by the IOM to provide national leadership in coordinating the ongoing efforts and to develop sustainable partnerships between the public and private sector so that communities are adequately prepared for natural or man-made catastrophic events. The Forum offers an ongoing neutral venue where members of both the public and private sector may meet in open or closed session to discuss and confront issues of mutual interest and concern.

Attendance at these workshops is free but registration is required. For more information and to register for a workshop, please visit www.iom.edu/medprepforum. For additional information or questions, please contact Clare Stroud at cstroud@nas.edu.