Program to focus on flu prevention

Rockford Health System has been selected as a site to help develop a pilot program to educate the public on methods for dealing with and containing both annual seasonal influenza and the Novel H1N1 influenza virus.

Dr. George Beranek, disaster medical director for Region 1 POD, and Chris Bellone, regional healthcare emergency manager for Emergency Medical Services, will conduct a free public program from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Funderburg Auditorium at Rockford Memorial Hospital, 2400 N. Rockton Ave.

The program is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Disaster Life Support Foundation.

Bellone said the program will focus on how individuals can protect themselves to help contain a flu outbreak and the differences between seasonal flu and the Novel H1N1 virus.