PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Catherine Slemp, MD, MPH
WV Bureau for Public Health
When Disaster Strikes—
Response and Recovery in WV, Summit II
Charleston, WV
April 23, 2007
Summary of Topics: Summary of Topics Key Principles
PH System Structure
Health and Medical Preparedness Planning Structure
Coordination of Public Health and Emergency Management functions
Key Accomplishments / Activities to Date
Selected Areas for Further Work
Key Principles: Key Principles All hazard planning wherever feasible
Must coordinate and align with broader Emergency Management (EM) and Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) under NIMS
By code and state EOP, response is local with state support / coordination. (Provision for state to step in if needed to protect health and safety)
Public Health Agency Emergency Response Capacity is directly proportional to strength of everyday public health system
Key Principles: Key Principles Government can coordinate, can provide leadership, can provide many services. Government cannot and should not undertake preparedness or response alone.
Private Sector, Organized Volunteer Community, Individuals, families, and communities
WV’s Public Health System: WV’s Public Health System WVDHHR--
Bureau for Public Health
Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facil. State Health Department 49 Local Health Departments Collaboration with many other agencies
LHD PH Preparedness Organization: LHD PH Preparedness Organization Each LHD has a designated Threat Preparedness Coordinator and other defined roles (most not full time); Some regional leads.
Each to have developed a local PH Threat Response Plan to address public health response functions
All plans must align with local jurisdiction’s EOP
Each is expected to participate in Regional Healthcare System Response Planning (Patient Surge Plans)
Each participates in a defined Public Health Preparedness Planning region
Slide7: WV Public Health Threat Preparedness Planning Regions
Health Care System Preparedness Organization: Health Care System Preparedness Organization Regional Health Care System Planning Groups—Hospitals, LHDs, EM, Primary Care, EMS, etc.
WV Hospital Assoc partnership coordinating work with Hospitals—WV Hosp. Prep Task Force, facility response plans, regionally advancing surge capacity (plans, resources, sharing, etc.)
Emphasis on linking with jurisdictional response
Regions correspond to Medical Command Regions
Slide9: WV Health Care System Planning Regions
Public Health and Medical System (Everyday Activities): Public Health and Medical System (Everyday Activities) WVDHHR-BPH 49 Local Health Departments Health Care Providers and Facilities andamp; Many Other Health Partners
Emergency Response Plans: Emergency Response Plans Plans Nest: Not all is held in any single plan
Plan Holder
WV Emergency Operations Plan DHSEM
Annex G: Health and Medical DHSEM
WVDHHR Threat Response Plan WVDHHR
Agency / Office Response Office /Bureau
Plans, protocols, policies, tools
Family / Individual Plan You andamp; Me
WVDHHR Incident Command Structure: WVDHHR Incident Command Structure
WV Health and Medical System Emergency Response: WV Health and Medical System Emergency Response WV STATE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER WV LOCAL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS NIMS/NRP Other State and Federal Ops Centers
Health and Medical Response Functions (sample): Health and Medical Response Functions (sample) Disease Detection, Investigation, and Control
Laboratory Diagnostics—Bio, Chem, Envir
Environmental Health (drinking water, food safety, health effects of environmental exposure, infectious medical waste, etc.)
Mass Immunization and Prophylaxis
Communicating Health Risk and What to do
Coordinating Selected Medical Resource Distribution
Support / Coordinate Health Care System in Providing Medical Response
Behavioral Health
Selected Key Activities / Accomplishments: Selected Key Activities / Accomplishments
WVDHHR Activities: WVDHHR Activities Distributing Funds and Supporting System Development
2006-07: CDC- $ 8.5 million (incl. 1 time Pan Flu $); HRSA $3 million
Local Health Departments
Hospitals
Community Mental Health Centers
EMS
WV Poison Center
WV Council of Churches
WV Department of Agriculture
WV Department of Education
American Red Cross
Slide17:
Biosafety Level 3 Lab: Biosafety Level 3 Lab Bioterrorism Agents West Nile Virus Influenza Pertussis Norovirus
Mass Vaccination / Strategic National Stockpile Planning: Mass Vaccination / Strategic National Stockpile Planning Caches of medical equipment andamp; medications stored in US
Delivery to state within 12 hrs
Accessed by State Health Department who oversees management and distribution
Local Health Departments responsible for dispensing to public; hospitals to own staff / patients
Two systems:
Push Pack
Vendor managed inventory
LHDs frequently test SNS mass vaccination plans with seasonal flu clinics
WV REDI: WV REDI WV Responder Emergency Deployment Information System
Registers and Credentials Health Professional and Other Health Volunteers in advance
Web based
Links Vol to local H andamp; M Volunteer Group for training, support, etc.
Now training system administrators andamp; preparing for launch
Pandemic Flu Planning: Pandemic Flu Planning State and Regional Summits
State and Agency Plan Development
State and Regional Tabletop Exercises
Caches of basic supplies and equipment (alternate care facilities x 7; antivirals; N-95 masks for HCWs; etc.)
Developing plans for allocating scarce resources: antivirals, vaccine, etc.
Planning for Non Pharmaceutical Interventions
COOP
Communications: Communications Health Alert Network
Wide Area Network with LHDs andamp; DHHR Offices
Collecting and maintaining partner contact info (providers, law enforcement, etc.)
Rapidly disseminates info to partners when necessary, via multiple possible modalities
Linking in groups that reach Special Needs Pops
Tactical Communications
Radios (EMS, Hospitals, Med Comm)
Rapid Notification System
Satellite Phones, Cell Phones, etc.
Training People: Training People
Awareness – Emergency Preparedness, Pandemic Influenza, etc.
Incident Command / NIMS
Outbreak investigation
Mass Dispensing / Vaccination
Identifying and treating casualties of an event
Psychological Impacts of Disaster / Critical Incident Stress Management Techniques
Risk Communications
Areas Needing Attention : Areas Needing Attention Enhancing Individual / Family Preparedness
Enhancing Private Sector Preparedness
COOP—all sectors; in manageable chunks
Health and Medical Resource Tracking
Coordinating with Volunteers
Coordinating with Special Needs Populations
Additional Resources: Additional Resources http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp : Incident command and other training on line
http://www.pandemicflu.gov: Federal Gov’t Pandemic Flu information and resources
http://www.wvdhhr.org/healthprep : WVBPH Public Health Preparedness webpage.
http://www.wvflu.org: WV flu planning resources and information (site now being revised)
WVBPH Division of Surveillance and Disease Control http://www.wvdhhr.org/idep/ : protocols, disease fact sheets, WV outbreak andamp; disease reporting info, etc. (1-800-423-1271)
http://www.ready.gov : Individual and Family Readiness materials from the US Department of Homeland Security
http://www.bt.cdc.gov : disease info, fact sheets, etc.
Preparedness Lessons From Noah: Preparedness Lessons From Noah Don’t miss the boat
Remember that we are all in the same boat
For safety’s sake, travel in pairs
Plan ahead, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark
Build your future on high ground
Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Slide27:
Remember, the ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals And for those days when you think you just don’t know enough to do the job……….
Thank You!: Thank You!
Cathy Slemp, MD, MPH
505 Capitol St., Suite 200
Charleston, WV
304-558-6900
cathyslemp@wvdhhr.org