President: Vivian C. Rush, MD, MPH
Dr. Rush is Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. She graduated from the New York University School of Medicine in 1978. She performed her Internship at the University of Louisville, Department of Family Medicine in 1978-79. Her active duty career began in Primary Care with the United States Air Force in 1979 in South Korea and was later assigned to Zweibrucken Air Force Base in Germany. After her Air Force commitment, Dr. Rush served as an Emergency Room physician with Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, Dr. Rush received her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Occupational Medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1996. She was Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 1997 and began her employment with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) a agency associated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
While serving with ATSDR, Dr. Rush was a Physician Project Officer with Environmental Public Health programs such as Medical Monitoring of populations exposed to harmful agents and consulting with local physicians on a host of possible medical problems experienced by exposed persons. She was a medical expert in explaining the medical risks to affected communities and advising exposed individuals and groups.
Dr. Rush has served two assignments with the US Army's Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (CHPPM) at Aberdeen Proving ground, Maryland. She has led teams of Public Heath experts in investigating suspected disease clusters and played major roles in "Town Hall meetings" for communities concerned about issues spanning chemical releases to perceived increased incidences of spontaneous abortions. Dr. Rush is a very thoughtful and caring physician who clearly and accurately depicts facts and risks in a way that engenders trust and facilitates a full understanding of all issues surrounding Community Public Health concerns and health affects associated with Biological, Chemical, Explosive or Radiological exposures.
Executive Vice President, Readiness Services: James M. Rush, CHPM
Mr. Rush is the Executie Vice President of JVR Health Readiness, Inc., and an innovator in the field of Public Health and Healthcare Disaster Preparedness. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM). Jim has over 26 years of healthcare administration and community emergency management experience in the US Armed Forces, the US Public Health community and in the civilian healthcare industry.
Most recently, he was the Region III Project Officer for the National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program. This is a Department of Health and Human Services program dedicated to assisting healthcare organizations prepare for “All Hazards” events. He was also the first logistics manager for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile program, the forerunner of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In the Private Healthcare Sector, Jim served as the Materials Manager for Children’s Hospital and Center for Reconstructive Surgery in Baltimore Maryland, Garrett County Memorial Hospital in Oakland Maryland and at the Barrow County Medical Center in Winder, Georgia outside of Atlanta.
As a US Air Force Medical Service Corps (MSC) Captain, Mr. Rush served as the US Air Force’s Middle East Regional Chief, Medical Logistics Management, while stationed at Incirlik, Turkey from June 1977-April 1979. He later served as a logistics staff officer for the US Air Force Surgeon General in Germany, specializing in wartime medical supplies and equipment. He was the first 500-Bed wartime and contingency hospital administrator and was a pioneer in adapting the Israeli Defense Force’s 4-Echelons of wartime healthcare services to the United States Armed Services in Germany.
Mr. Rush received his BS in Health Services Administration from the University of Arizona. He also holds a Professional Certificate in Information Systems from the University of Southern California. He also earned a Certificate in “Decision Risk Analysis for Logisticians” from the US Army’s Logistics Management College.
Publications: Most recently, Jim has authored a publication for the American Hospital Association titled the “Disaster Preparedness Manual for Healthcare Materials Management Professionals”. Mr. Rush has also co-authored the “Recommended Practice, Disaster Readiness and Recovery” for the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES). He has had professional papers published in the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) newsletter with worldwide circulation. Excerpts of his web page article “Acquiring Disaster Related Supplies” were published by the “Materials Management in Healthcare Magazine”, a joint publication of the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Association of Healthcare Resources and Materials Management (AHRMM). He is also a regular contributing author for “Big Medicine” an on-line weekly publication dedicated to the Emergency Management Community.
JVR Health Readiness courses and workshops taught by Jim Rush: Integrated Healthcare Disaster Response (6-Tiered Response System) and Building a Comprehensive Healthcare Emergency Management Program
Vice President, Healthcare Emergency Management Services : Thomas R. Runyon
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Mr. Runyon is an Environmental Engineer and brings JVR Health Readiness customers over 24 years of specialized experience, including contingency/disaster preparedness, emergency response, and emergency management planning for “All Hazards” disasters. He is an expert regarding technical and health aspects of potable water supplies, hazardous materials/waste operations, medical waste treatment technologies, and the storage, handling, and assessment of chemical agent materials. He serves as a subject matter expert responsible for developing and testing emergency management plans for Department of Defense facilities. Tom became a Certified Business Continuity Professional in 1999. Subsequently, he developed a comprehensive, concise healthcare disaster preparedness plan for DOD/DA healthcare organizations. His plans exceeded JCAHO standards existing at that time. In 2001, JCAHO standards were revised to reflect the topics advocated in Tom’s initial guidance.
Tom performs evaluations of emergency management plans as part of pre-JCAHO reviews, and assists in their revision for many healthcare organizations. He has performed several organizational and healthcare facility vulnerability assessments, as well as presented effective mitigation measures and developed and audited semi-annual emergency exercises. In support of Homeland Defense initiatives, he has served as a primary reviewer of DOD and DA emergency healthcare guidance and has been actively involved in the performance of emergency vulnerability assessments for select Army installations. Such work has led to the development of a “Commander’s Guide” to facilitate localized planning.
Mr. Runyon has played an integral part in combating the threat of intentional contamination by biological warfare materials. He was responsible for much of the initial mailroom sampling for anthrax occurring in government offices around Washington, and was subsequently responsible for establishing national anthrax sampling and decontamination guidance and training information that was adopted by the CDC and the USEPA. He served as a key member of the Incident Command team deployed at the onset of anthrax contamination identified at the Brentwood Postal Facility and at the Department of State Overseas Mail Distribution Center. Currently, he serves as a SME for decontamination, monitoring, and mitigation of biological contamination, and fills the SME role on the DOD Smallpox Epidemiological Response Teams.
In addition to his expertise and management experience in the areas of potable water supply systems; hazardous waste and Regulated Medical Waste characterization, mitigation, and disposal; human and ecological health risk assessment; and safety program development; Mr. Runyon served as the liaison officer between the Department of Defense and the Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). During this time, he was responsible for determining/prioritizing the need for health assessment and toxicological studies amongst all three military Services and for overseeing the Congressionally-mandated support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He routinely briefed authorities from all listed organizations.
Mr. Runyon has conducted onsite training and workshops providing guidance and instruction to administrative, engineering, and operations personnel pertaining to facility utility systems, emergency management, safety programs, and Weapons of Mass Destruction issues. This training has been performed throughout the U.S. and overseas.
EDUCATION:
Master of Public Health (Environmental Health Engineering), The Johns Hopkins University, May 1987.
Master of Science, Environmental Systems Engineering, Clemson University, May 1980.
Bachelor of Science, Marine Science/Ecology, Univ. of South Carolina, December 1977.
JVR Health Readiness courses and workshops taught by Tom Runyon: Integrated Healthcare Disaster Response (6-Tiered Response System), Building a Comprehensive Healthcare Emergency Management Program, Maintaining Hospital Operations during Disasters , and Hospital Evacuation - The Last Resort
Corporate Attorney/Vice President Contractual Relationships : Mary Joan McNamara
Mary Joan McNamara serves as JVR Health Readiness, Inc.’s General Counsel. Ms. McNamara comes to JVR Health with a wealth and depth of experience in both private practice, and as a special appointee to various government posts, including in positions which have involved international treaties. Ms. McNamara has represented clients before State and Federal regulators, administrative agencies and in the courts in matters ranging diversely from health care insurance regulation/policy to anti trust and intellectual property protection. Ms. McNamara has negotiated innumerable contracts of varying kinds, and advised small companies on business formation and risk.
Recently, Ms. McNamara served as a Consultant to the United States Department of State. Ms. McNamara conducted a cross national legal/market study and drafted an implementing regulation for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Children and Families for a program the State Department is regulating for the first time in its history under the Hague Convention.
Ms. McNamara served in a Counsel position for Semmes, Bowen and Semmes in which she represented Fortune Five Hundred and other clients in national, class action product liability litigation (including telecommunications and pharmaceutical/health care) representing hundreds of millions of dollars in exposures.
Ms. McNamara has represented clients, and continues to do so, in employment litigation in the EEOC, Federal courts and the Merit Service Protection Board. Ms. McNamara participated in seminars on “The Bermuda Triangle of Employment Laws” and on class action litigation given to Semmes’ major clients. Prior to her work at Semmes, Ms. McNamara handled sophisticated commercial and environmental transactions for banks, real estate developers and exporters, among other types of clients. Ms. McNamara has extensive and in depth knowledge of insurance practices and insuring agreements, and how risk management is practiced.
Ms. McNamara served for three years as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, during which time she made case law both at trial and as appellate counsel. Ms. McNamara was again appointed by a Massachusetts Attorney General to assist consumers in a state wide consent decree. Ms. McNamara sat as a Conciliator in the Lowell Superior Court in Massachusetts, in which she assisted litigants and their attorneys to resolve their law suits through alternative dispute resolution.
Ms. McNamara has had a long-time interest in health care and health care finance. She served in the Illinois Bureau of the Budget where she had responsibility for a $500M health care budget, which included federal and state grants. Ms. McNamara liased with the State’s Washington, D.C. office on health care issues, including Medicare and Medicaid funding, and drafted policy papers for the Governor’s staff.
Ms. McNamara has been instrumental in preserving JVR Health Readiness’ copyright protection. She has negotiated licensing rights and teaming agreements on JVR Health’s behalf. With knowledge of the intricacies of Federalism and the patch work quilt of laws which affect health care providers, and having presented extensively to major decision makers, Ms. McNamara will assist in JVR Health’s marketing presentations designed to promote JVR Health’s services.
Ms. McNamara is currently admitted to the Bars of Maryland, D.C. and Pennsylvania, and to various Federal Bars. She is an invitational member of the Bar Faculty for the Maryland State Bar for which she has taught professionalism courses.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Arts, Cornell University, Ithaca New York
Certificate, the University of Vienna, Austria (Eastern European Studies)
Master of Arts, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (Public Policy, Finance and Law)
Juris Doctor, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
Vice President, Government Logistics Operations : Michael Risko Jr.
Mr. Risko has over thirty years of progressive experience in logistics management including supply, equipment, maintenance, transportation, ammunition and budget. Mike also has extensive executive experience in program management, strategic planning, and installation management.
Mike joins JVR Health Readiness after his employment with the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM), Alexandria, VA, where he served as the Chief, Logistics Division from 1998 to 2001. He was a key member of the TECOM transition team to form a new Major Army Command comprising of 5500 personnel working in 28 operational locations in 17 states, and managing 3.9 million acres of real estate. Mike was the senior logistics advisor to the Army’s Commanding General and primary staff of this widely dispersed materiel testing and evaluation organization. He provided comprehensive logistics support to TECOM installations which included management of supplies, equipment, maintenance, ammunition, transportation and Army Working Capital Fund/Single Stock Fund. He developed a logistics strategic plan and developed, outlined and established command goals, objectives and operational philosophy for the overall management of TECOM logistics programs. He conducted command reviews of subordinate installations to evaluate the effectiveness of logistics programs. Mike also implemented his quality assurance management program, which resulted in countless major program enhancements.
Mr. Risko contributed to the Headquarters of the 7th Medical Command, Heidelberg, Germany from 1986-1990 as the MEDCOM Logistics Program Manager. He was the Principal action officer for management of medical (Class VIII) War Reserve and decrement stocks in the European Theater. Mike developed the Army’s European contingency and war plans relative to logistics capabilities and initiated a concept plan for the employment of warm base hospitals. He developed policies and procedures to implement Department of the Army guidance relative to the management of medical materiel with respect to acquisition, transportation, maintenance, and storage requirements. He evaluated the adequacy of existing programs and identified additional requirements for program management including personnel, equipment and facilities. As primary coordinator for new equipment fielding, Mike developed Material Fielding Plans, ensured distribution milestones and force support requirements were met, developed new equipment training strategy, prepared assessments on supportability, and made recommendations on accepting fielding under conditional release. He also ensured equipment accountability was maintained during handoff and maintained oversight of the repair of damaged material. As an Army Reservist, Mike served as Chief of Staff of a medical brigade in Europe.
Mr. Risko earned his BA from Seton Hall University, S. Orange, NJ, and his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Mike is a natural leader and mentor. He will bring JVR Health customers the many benefits that come from years of experience in developing complex Medical Logistics systems and programs, and assisting associates in developing and using the systems that best fill their needs.
