The Center for Disaster Medicine Hosts Groundbreaking For New Simulation and Educational Facility
The Cutting-Edge Educational Facility Will Continue to Advance Disaster Preparedness and Response
The Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) celebrated a significant milestone with a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Simulation and Educational Facility on September 13. In attendance were esteemed political leaders and distinguished faculty as well as leadership from New York Medical College (NYMC). Their collective pride in the expansion was palpable, as they gathered to mark this momentous occasion.
The Center’s new development will continue NYMC’s globally recognized assets, expertise and research findings encompassing natural disasters, terrorism, operational and tactical medicine and public health preparedness, with competence in the unique needs of children, persons with disabilities, climate change, equity in preparedness and response and health care systems preparedness.
"The vast expertise within our Center positions us as the optimal resource to provide this essential training and education across the entire state,” said David S. Markenson, M.D., M.B.A., fourth from left, director and medical director of the CDM.
The New York State Assembly provided $250,000 through a State and Municipal Program grant and Senator Peter Harckham, fourth from right, provided $200,000 in capital funding for the extension of the CDM. Local representatives, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, third from left, and Sen. Harckham, who represented the Center for multiple years prior to redistricting, gave remarks at the groundbreaking about the impact the Center has had on the New York community for nearly 20 years.
“I’ve been so fascinated by the growth and the vision of NYMC, and certainly with the partnership under Touro University, and what has happened here. The evolution of this College and of us being here today, seeing even a stronger emphasis on the only disaster medicine facility in our region is just a normal transition for this College,” said Majority Andrea Leader Stewart-Cousins.
“I am proud of all the work being done at NYMC’s Center for Disaster Medicine, which has world-class capabilities in terms of medical strategies for emerging threats. Its disaster training programs benefit first responders across the state, making our communities safer as a result. More than ever, our medical research and education centers need strong support, which is why I worked to secure grant funding for the center’s expansion and its new simulation training facility,” said Sen. Harckham.
NYMC and Touro University (TU) leadership emphasized the urgency of preparing for potential climate-induced disasters looming on New York's horizon. As the effects of global warming hits closer to the region, immediate attention and action is needed to safeguard the future.
“The Center of Disaster Medicine is continuing to develop programs so that if unfortunately some of the predictions about global warming turn out to be true, that unlike what happened at the COVID-19 pandemic and to some extent what happened in 9/11, we are prepared to deal with it and unless we think we can massively change behavior on a global scale in a short period of time, the possibilities we’ll have to deal with the adverse effects of global warming are real and we need to be ready for it,” said Alan Kadish, M.D., second from left, president of NYMC and TU.
"Today's event literally opened the wall into exciting new spaces and opportunities to expand the Center's impact in preparing resilient communities across New York State. We offer great thanks to our State Senators and Assemblymembers for their confidence in the multi-disciplinary talents here at NYMC,” said Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., right, dean, School of Health Sciences and Practice; and vice president for government affairs.
View videos from various events on the NYMC YouTube channel.
