A keynote presentation on the Taipei water park inferno, in which more than 500 young adults were burned when a colored powder accidently ignited at a concert in June, will close CHA’s Disaster Planning for California Hospitals conference on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Christina Catlett, MD,  FACEP, of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response will share the harrowing story of how 40 hospitals were besieged with patients, many of whom suffered burns on more than 50 percent of their bodies. Dr. Catlett will also challenge attendees to think about how California hospitals could respond to such a massive burn event. 

In addition, Kelly Redmond, PhD, regional climatologist and deputy director for the Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute, will provide insights on the extreme weather conditions we are experiencing, as well as what hospitals and providers should consider when adapting to and planning for the changing climate. This presentation will take place Tuesday morning, Sept. 29.

The three-day conference will be held Sept. 28-30 in Sacramento. Other conference highlights include a pre-conference workshop on emerging infectious diseases and lessons learned from Ebola, 20 different breakout sessions, an exhibit show and more. Now in its 10th year, the conference is the largest statewide program for hospital emergency preparedness professionals. The full agenda, as well as registration and hotel information, is available at www.calhospital.org/disaster-planning. The deadline for discounted registration is Aug. 26.