Learning Objective #1: describe an educational program that prepares the long-term care work force to respond to disasters and emergency situations.

Learning Objective #2: discuss the outcomes of the PREPARE disaster training program.

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The long-term care industry has been deficient in adequately preparing their staff to deal with man–made and natural public health disasters. A survey conducted by Mather LifeWays found that 91% of long-term care communities are ill-prepared to deal with bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. With funding from the United States government, Mather LifeWays has developed PREPARE, a program that provides geriatric-specific emergency training programs to senior living communities in the U.S. The purpose of the PREPARE program is to prepare long-term care (LTC) health providers with the core competencies to address the medical and psychosocial consequences of bioterrorism (BT) and other public health emergency preparedness and response concerns. Key Program Objectives include: 1.) Increase the understanding of LTC health and allied health professionals towards disaster/emergency preparedness education. 2.) Increase the number of LTC professionals who understand how to alert the public health system of a public health emergency. 3.) Increase the number of LTC communities that: forge collaborative relationships with key community stakeholders and groups in disaster planning; implement disaster response exercises or drills as part of their continuing quality improvement programs; and involve residents and families in emergency planning and education. To date, training has been conducted for 564 organizations in 47 states. Baseline and post-implementation data that will be presented show that participating organizations have improved disaster preparedness. Specific improvements include increased planning for surge capacity and bioterrorist threats, and increased numbers of organizations who have developed collaborative relationships with state and local government agencies.