Freeman employees participate in Domestic Preparedness training

JOPLIN, Mo.—Ten employees from Freeman Health System and Ozark Center, the behavioral health division of Freeman, recently completed training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, Ala. Freeman employees participated in multiple drills and exercises involving mass casualty incidents that included chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive events, as well as natural disasters. The training is intense and provides a level of realism rarely seen outside of an actual disaster.

The CDP is operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and offers the only federally charted weapons of mass destruction training facility in the nation. 

The Freeman and Ozark Center employees who participated in this extensive training include:

• Tony Atkins, Ozark Center Facilities Director 
• April Bennett, Freeman Cardiac Medical Unit Director
• Ryan Collier, Freeman Neosho Hospital Rehabilitation Services Director
• John Ezell, Freeman Emergency Services Interim Director 
• Mary Frerer, Ozark Center Human Resources Director
• Skip Harper, Freeman Health and Safety Officer
• Mike McFall, Freeman Respiratory Therapy Supervisor
• Ron Moore, Freeman Crothall Director
• Mike Ross, Freeman Neosho Ambulance Services Director 
• Joe Yust, Freeman Neosho Facility Services Director 

The CDP develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and other government officials from state, local, and tribal governments. Training at the CDP campus is federally funded. Information about CDP training programs can be found at cdp.dhs.gov.

About Freeman Health System

Based in Joplin, Mo., and proudly recognized as the Best Hospital in southwest Missouri—as well as ranked #4 in the state—by US News & World Report, Freeman Health System provides comprehensive healthcare and behavioral health services, including cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurosciences, orthopaedics, and women’s services. The area’s only locally owned, not-for-profit health system, Freeman has more than 300 physicians representing 60 specialties serving southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem, or follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo.