WASHINGTON, September 3, 2002 / -- September 11 and its aftermath highlighted the nation’s need to improve communication among its citizens, their healthcare providers and their government during terrorist events and wartime. Devising recommendations for a proactive communications strategy that healthcare providers can use to deliver consistent, accurate and timely information to patients about terrorism and complex threats, will top the agenda at the "Risk Communication and Terrorism: New Clinical Approaches" conference Sept. 9-11 at the Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, VA.

This unprecedented interagency forum is expected to draw more than 200 healthcare providers, clinicians, social workers, public health officials, bioterrorism experts and concerned citizens from the federal government, the military and the civilian sectors. During the event, those on the frontline of ensuring the nation’s public health and safety will address such topics as:

Ø New strategies for effectively communicating with patients in a post-September 11 world

Ø Anthrax, West Nile Virus and other emerging health threats

Ø The new and changing role of healthcare providers in crafting a community response to terrorism and crisis

Ø Devising a community-based response to protecting the nation’s water supply

Ø New technologies for communicating risk

Ø Providing treatment after a terrorist attack

Ø Understanding and responding to the high anxiety and low trust environment associated with immunization therapy

It’s been nearly a year since the tragic events of Sept. 11 and subsequent terrorist threats. “What we’ve learned is that we are vulnerable, “ said conference co-chair, Army LTC Col Charles Engel Jr., M.D., M.P.H. “This is the time that we should be assessing lessons learned and developing communication strategies for dealing with our patients. Engel added that, “Poor communication can be as great a source of morbidity as the threat itself.”

Since Sept. 11, providing the public with clear and comprehensive information about health, biological and environmental risks, has proved challenging. “Having healthcare providers who know how to provide information that helps patients make better health decisions is what risk communication is all about,” explained Engel, director of the Deployment Health Clinical Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine.

The conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy. Other participating agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

About the Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC)

The DHCC at Walter Reed Army Medical Center offers a comprehensive and caring program for military personnel, families and veterans through medical evaluation and treatment. The Center also works to improve the quality of post-deployment healthcare delivered within all DoD medical facilities. Please visit www.PDHealth.mil for more information about the conference and the DHCC.