El 23Rd Annual Emergency Preparedness Summit kicked off its second day on Wednesday morning, March 25.
The day began with a keynote address from the Chief Information Officer Arman Latif focused on the key principles of artificial intelligence (AI) in public health. He shared the dynamics involved in agentic AI. It describes advanced artificial intelligence systems that exhibit autonomy, goal-driven behavior, and adaptability, allowing them to make decisions and take actions without human intervention. Latif talked about the importance of AI innovation balancing experimentation with responsible governance. The AI innovations shaping public health include social determinants, genomic analysis, health monitoring, healthcare ops optimization, and telehealth and monitoring.
The day’s program included opportunities for multiple breakout session, including:
- Timely Measles Information
- Logistics, Developments, and Trends of Shelter Planning
- Gestión del Cambio
- Best Practices for Workplace Safety
- Updates from the Office of Emergency Medical Services
- Communications: Navigating Misinformation in an Age of Rapid Change
- Equidad en salud con poblaciones especiales en emergencias
Highlights of some sessions included:
A communication session focused on “Navigating Misinformation in an Age of Rapid Change.” During the hour-long presentation, Brookie Crawford, risk communications manager and Northern Region public information officer, shared the importance of establishing the agency as a trusted resource, amplifying messages and preventing information voids. Crawford also explained the differences between misinformation, malinformation and disinformation.
With various drinking water issues being experienced across the state, staff from the Office of Drinking Water and the Central Shenandoah Health District shared best practices for handling a water-related community issue. Jordan Good, local health emergency coordinator for the Central Shenandoah Health District talked about the various roles of local government agencies and departments during a crisis. He also mentioned the importance of demonstrating value when partnering and collaborating with those agencies.
The newest health director within VDH, Xavier Crockett, with the Central Shenandoah Health District focused on leading through uncertainty in public health. His presentation focused on four specific traits: resilience, integration, strategy and sustainability to build the leadership framework. As he referenced his favorite sport, boxing, Crockett said you can jump into the ring and hit hard and quick, but “surviving the fight does not mean you are ready for what is to come.” Crockett stated preparedness is not tested when systems are working, but preparedness is tested when systems are failing.
The afternoon agenda included discipline-specific breakout sessions for health directors, nurse managers, emergency coordinators, business managers, medical reserve corps, and epidemiologists.
The Virginia Epidemiology Seminar will wrap up the third day of the conference on March 26.