Ballad Health to host annual Emerging Pathogens conference on May 18 in Kingsport
Ballad Health will host the 2023 Emerging Pathogens Preparedness and Response Conference on Thursday, May 18, at MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport.
This free event is designed to provide training and education to regional healthcare providers on the topic of serious communicable diseases that are either highly infectious or extremely rare and often never seen before. It will feature national experts in the field as they provide global, national and local updates, lessons learned from the past and future considerations.
“This conference will provide valuable training and education to help ensure our region is ready to face any emerging pathogens that could arise,” said Jamie Swift, chief infection prevention officer at Ballad Health. “We know that infectious diseases can have a devastating impact on individuals and communities, and it’s essential that our public health workers are prepared to respond.”
The conference is being held in partnership with the Northeast Tennessee Healthcare Preparedness Coalition and continuing medical education and continuing nursing education credits will be available. The conference is recommended for nurses, physicians, emergency medical services personnel, infection preventionists and those involved in long-term care and public health.
“We are proud to partner with Ballad Health on providing this critical resource that will equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge to implement infection prevention strategies in their community,” said Heather Mullins, an epidemiologist with the Sullivan County Regional Health Department and the Northeast Tennessee Healthcare Preparedness Coalition. “Our coalition is committed to promoting the health and safety of our community, and this conference is a key part of that effort. We encourage healthcare providers throughout the region to take advantage of this valuable opportunity.”
The keynote speakers for the conference include Gavin Macgregor Skinner, senior director of Global Biorisk Advisory Council at ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and Jill Morgan, a frontline intensive care unit and special pathogens treatment center nurse at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.
