NACCHO’s yearlong training and mentoring program, Roadmap to Ready, kicked off with two in-person workshops this past April. Roadmap to Ready is a training and mentoring program designed to help emergency preparedness coordinators new to their role at local health departments navigate the complex landscape of public health preparedness.
The above map illustrates the reach of Roadmap to Ready mentors and participants.
The first workshop took place March 27-28 in San Diego, Calif. and the second workshop took place on April 16 prior to the 2018 Preparedness Summit in Atlanta, Ga. These interactive workshops included presentations on the fundamentals of local public health preparedness; the importance of building and maintaining partnerships; and the basics of preparedness planning, including guidance and tips for developing and updating Emergency Operations Plans. These workshops also included a hands-on case study on public health law led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Law Program.
Participants who attended the San Diego workshop completed a tabletop exercise, while those who attended the Atlanta workshop had the opportunity to continue learning throughout the week during Preparedness Summit. With the help of 11 mentors, 42 new preparedness coordinators, who have been in their roles for less than two years, were trained.
Following the workshops, NACCHO will host two community of practice webinars for Roadmap to Ready participants—one this summer and one later in the fall. In addition, NACCHO will distribute weekly preparedness resources. The purpose of these activities is to highlight tools, trainings, plans, and other emergency preparedness information to help the participants grow into their roles as new emergency preparedness coordinators so they can better support their communities. Mentors will be responsible for hosting monthly team engagement calls designed for participants to share successes, challenges, and progress towards completing their individual development goals. NACCHO will provide any technical assistance to help both mentors and participants.
Since the start of the program in 2015, Roadmap to Ready has trained more than 163 preparedness coordinators from 36 states with the assistance of 28 mentors.
Applications for the 2019 cohort will open in fall of 2018. For more information on Roadmap to Ready, please visit the website or email [email protected].
