(Editor’s Note: Media is invited to attend the morning session on Aug. 21. There will be a press availability at 10:30 a.m.)

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services will continue its statewide Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Summit on Thursday, Aug. 20 and Friday, Aug. 21 at the New Brunswick Hyatt Regency.

More than 250 health officials, partners and emergency responders are expected to attend the two days of workshops.

These two days of workshops will concentrate on planning activities for vaccination, surveillance and epidemiological investigations, continuity of operations, healthcare planning challenges and communications.

David Gruber, Senior Assistant Commissioner for the Department of Health and Senior Services; Susan Walsh, Deputy for the Department of Health and Senior Services; and Richard Canas, Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, will be giving opening remarks and presentations.

The August workshops are a follow-up to the first two days of the summit (July 13-14). The final day of the workshop will be September 29.

For more information, please see the Department’s H1N1 website at http://nj.gov/health/er/h1n1/