Doctors to get special training

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

Clark County doctors are getting special training in recognizing and treating early symptoms of exposure to biological and chemical weapons, the county's chief health officer said today.

Dr. Donald Kwalick said the county health district had originally planned to launch the training sessions early next year. The timeline was moved up following the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, he said.

A survey of the county's doctors showed just 6.4 percent had received training in biological warfare, said Dr. Frank Nemec, who presented the results of the study at a meeting Tuesday of the county's Public Safety Coordination team. Of those doctors who had received training, two-thirds said it consisted of less than four hours, Nemec said.

The survey results for Clark County are similar to regions nationwide, Nemec said.

Since the attacks the health district has activated an e-mail and fax message network sending weekly updates to hospitals, clinics and medical offices, Kwalick said.

Hospitals in Nevada are facing tighter budgets, which mean less money for stockpiling supplies. During a biological emergency, the county would likely have to rely on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nemec said.

The former chief of staff at Sunrise Hospital, Nemec said he was confident that the county was taking the appropriate steps toward preparedness.

"We don't want to just be better than average," Nemec said this morning, "We want to have a system of response that makes Las Vegas and Clark County a model for the rest of the country."