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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (March 29 , 2006) — Milligan College nursing professor Melinda Collins has been invited by Gov. Phil Bredesen to participate in the Pandemic Readiness and Emergency Planning Conference on April 10 in Nashville. She will serve on a panel discussion with other deans and directors of nursing programs in Tennessee.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who will attend the meeting, has asked each state to hold such conferences to raise awareness about what to expect during a pandemic, how to prepare for one and to encourage business and other leaders to help direct planning for their organizations, communities and families.
“In the event of an outbreak, it will be up to state and local officials to ensure Tennessee’s economic, business and community activities maintain a sense of normalcy,” said Bredesen, who noted that there is no imminent threat of a pandemic flu but he wants the state to be prepared.
Collins has worked at the Baptist Hospital School of Practical Nursing, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Indian Path Medical Center. She holds a master of science in nursing degree from Vanderbilt University and is a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
At Milligan, Collins is an associate professor and chair of nursing. Under her guidance, Milligan’s B.S.N. program and its graduates have built a reputation for success, achieving a near 100-percent pass rate on the national licensure exam for the past six years in a row and earning commendations from the Tennessee Board of Nursing. The practice-based program has a tradition of 100 percent of its graduates being employed upon graduation and 100 percent of those who have applied to graduate school have been accepted to the school of their choice, reported Collins.
The Pandemic Readiness and Emergency Planning Conference will start at 1 p.m. at the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville on April 10.