MPHL Outreach Office

Outreach Services of the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory consists of the Outreach Service Director (who serves as the Laboratory Training Coordinator), the Terrorism Response Coordinator, and the Laboratory Safety Coordinator. This team serves as a liaison between local, State and Federal agencies and is available to assist Mississippi laboratories with their training needs.

Outreach activities are based on guidance from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) for the development of training materials to increase public health awareness throughout Mississippi. Information and training are provided to clinicians, laboratorians, and first responders through virtual meetings, conference calls, workshops, and laboratory updates. Outreach Services can also rapidly relay urgent information to laboratorians and first responders during a public health emergency.

Continuing Education

Outreach Services of the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory promotes educational training activities for laboratory staff via webinars and virtual conferences sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and other resources.

Outreach Services staff facilitate annual seminars to offer P.A.C.E. continuing educational units for laboratorians. These seminars primarily focus on laboratory preparation for public health emergencies, including packaging and shipping infectious substances. All educational material and training offered by the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory Outreach Services are provided in an effort "to protect and advance the health, well-being and safety of everyone in Mississippi."

Activities

• Safety Training for Laboratory Personnel
  The Public Health Laboratory is a Biosafety Level 3 facility. The Laboratory Safety Coordinator works with the laboratory safety committee to ensure the security of the Public Health Laboratory and the safety of all laboratory personnel.

• Shipping Infectious Substances
  Annual Packaging and Shipping seminars for Mississippi sentinel laboratories are conducted in conjunction with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) to support certification in packaging and shipping for sample management. The seminars provide shipping updates in accordance with Department of Transportation (DOT) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) shipping regulations. P.A.C.E. continuing educational units may be available for participants.

• Public Health Emergency Response
  The Public Health Laboratory Outreach Service Director and the Terrorism Response Coordinator work with the Mississippi State Department of Health's Office of Strategic Planning and Response to develop and enhance operational plans and protocols for the Mississippi Public Health Laboratory's response to chemical and biological terrorism and other public health emergencies. Each year, educational material and training opportunities for laboratory preparedness for public health emergencies, terrorism response, and packaging and shipping of infectious substances are promoted throughout the state to Mississippi laboratories.

  The Outreach Service area collaborates with the Mississippi Alliance of Emergency Preparedness Laboratories (MAEPL), a network of laboratories and agencies within Mississippi, to ensure that an effective laboratory response can be rapidly deployed during any emergency.

• Biosafety
  The Lab Safety Coordinator promotes laboratory biosafety practices, provides biosafety expertise, and is available to assist all clinical laboratories in laboratory biosafety by providing training, risk assessments and mitigation strategies.