public health preparedness and response
Minnesota Department of Health Helps Labs Improve
Biosafety and Biosecurity
by Michael Marsico, MS, specialist, Biosafety and Biosecurity
Maureen Sullivan speaks to attendees in St. Paul at the MDH Regional Laboratory Conference on Biosafety Competencies
A
s APHL strives to improve the fundamentals of biosafety and
biosecurity across the country, the Minnesota Department of Health
(MDH) continues to be an important member of that movement.
Between December 2016 and February 2017, Minnesota convened the MDH
Regional Laboratory Conferences, six identical conferences focused on
biosafety, biosecurity and risk assessments. Utilizing metrics from surveys sent
out in Fall 2016 to Minnesota clinical laboratories regarding their capabilities,
MDH proposed the conferences this year with the aim of increasing biosafety
awareness for laboratory workers. Eric Lundquist, MDH Biosafety Outreach
Coordinator, and Maureen Sullivan, MDH Emergency Preparedness and
Response Unit supervisor and APHL Public Health Preparedness and Response
committee member, facilitated the conference.
L ab techs are doing the best with what they have, and are
definitely concerned when we point out ways that some
practices are unsafe. We are giving them not only the
proper training, but resources that enable them to make
their practices safer.
“Lab techs are doing the best with what they have, and are definitely
concerned when we point out ways that some practices are unsafe,” said
Lundquist. “We are giving them not only the proper training, but resources that
enable them to make their practices safer.”
Future Plans
Post-conference survey results revealed that some attendees had not been
trained in personal protective equipment procedures and biosafety cabinet
operation, and there were many who lacked experience conducting laboratory
risk assessments. Using the survey results, MDH will work on continuing
outreach and education of laboratory staff. They plan on conducting audio
conferences and “Lunch-and-Learns” on risk assessment and whole genome
sequencing to reach a larger audience.
After the conferences, a Minnesota healthcare system reached out to
MDH with a request for Eric and Maureen to give similar biosafety and
biosecurity presentations to their staff in June. Planning for next year is
currently underway, with the MDH team collaborating with infection control
epidemiologists who attended their training to do combined conferences. If
you would like more information on these conferences or on APHL’s Biosafety
and Biosecurity program, please email [email protected].
Six Conferences, Five Cities, 120 Attendees Reached
Conferences were held in St. Paul, Duluth, Alexandria, Bemidji and Mankato
with 120 attendees from over 70 different laboratories. The courses were
specifically targeted for the clinical laboratorians in Minnesota, but other
attendees included infection control epidemiologists, safety specialists not
located in the clinical setting and veterinary laboratorians. Topics included
an overview of the Laboratory Response Network, fundamentals of biosafety
and biosecurity, packaging and shipping and performing risk assessments.
Interactive group exercise sessions covered six different packaging and
shipping scenarios using glow germ to highlight potential routes of exposure
in the laboratory. Utilizing presen tations and hands-on sessions, attendees
learned a detailed approach to improving their laboratory’s biosafety and
biosecurity programs.
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org
MDH staff traveled to five different
cities (St. Paul, Duluth, Alexandria,
Bemidji, and Mankato) in Minnesota for
six regional laboratory conferences on
Biosafety and Biosecurity
Spring 2017 LAB MATTERS
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