CHEMM: A Revised Tool to Assist EMS Personnel Responding to Chemical Incidents

The Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management website (chemm.hhs.gov) was originally developed by the National Library of Medicine as a reference for first responders to chemical emergencies. While full of great information, the website hasn't been useful to first responders because it wasn't optimized for use in the field and provided too much undifferentiated reference material. For the past year, under the direction of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a team of experts has been working to revise and improve the CHEMM website to make it "Rapid Response Ready." This presentation will take attendees on a tour of the new website, describing the new features that will assist all levels of first responders and first receivers in obtaining critical emergency medical information when presented with patients who have been exposed to hazardous chemical products. The presentation will also describe the process by which the website revision team worked with recognized subject matter experts to test and improve the new website as it was being developed.