CARSON CITY —Emergency response leaders from rural and frontier counties of Nevada will gather at the Fallon Convention Center today and Thursday for a Public Health Rural Emergency Preparedness Summit. This is the first gathering of its kind in Nevada.

The summit is funded by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Rural Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea has been a major champion of the summit.

Expert presenters will provide guidance on preparedness and encourage collaboration among counties for preventing and handling public health emergencies and disasters. In addition to the presentations, the summit will feature tabletop exercises so that participants can practice responding to incidents such as a public health or weather emergency in a rural county.

“Of Nevada’s total population, about 11 percent reside in the frontier and rural communities, but that area represents 87 percent of our land mass,” said Dr. Tracey Green, state health officer. “Most of these communities are long distances from a major health center, which presents extra challenges during medical emergencies.”

Many Nevadans are aware of how emergencies in rural areas can quickly overwhelm local responders. County resources are aggravated by remote geographic locations, extreme conditions and limited resources characteristic of remote areas. Hence, partners are vital when counties plan, train and exercise emergency preparedness. In light of federal budget consolidation and decreased funding, the Public Health Rural Emergency Preparedness Summit is a rare and valuable opportunity for rural partners to learn more about the issues related to emergency response.

For more information, visit www.health.nv.gov or call 684-5981.