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  • Brown Co. SD: emergency response drill

    Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/...ency_response/

    Drill Checks County's Emergency Response

    Posted on: Thursday, 22 May 2008, 09:01 CDT

    By Scott Waltman, American News, Aberdeen, S.D.

    May 22--With a test run finished, Brown County's point of dispensation plan will be fine-tuned in case it needs to be used during an emergency.

    In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the Homeland Security Department and federal Centers for Disease Control now require all states to have point of dispensation plans that would handle the way medications or shots would be administered in the event of a bioterrorism attack or outbreak of a contagious disease.


    Brown County tested its plan at Central High School in Aberdeen Wednesday. The drill went smoothly, officials said, although some changes will have to be made.

    In an emergency, the Brown County point of dispensation will have to be activated within 24 hours. Then, as many as 60,000 regional residents will be given health assessments, medical attention and medication within 48 hours.

    Wednesday, nearly 600 CHS freshmen and sophomores played the roles of people needing medication or shots. They filled out paperwork and spoke briefly with medical personnel before being pointed in the right direction. Most were sent into the auditorium, where they learned more about the disease the drill was designed to respond to -- pneumonic plague. From there, they checked in at tables in the commons area before going to the gym, where they were given a piece of candy that symbolized medicine.

    Students who filled out forms that were a color other than white were treated as if they had a medical or mental condition and sent to different areas.


    Like most students, sophomore Doug Peck went through the procedure twice. Once, he was was deemed to be physically ill and was escorted from the
    school's entrance to the chorus room that had been deemed the medical center.

    Sophomore Cody Finck said during one of his trips through the line, he was "diagnosed" as needing mental health care. He was taken to the school's counseling offices and asked a variety of questions about his personal interests. He said the questions were substitutes for legitimate mental health questions that would be asked in the event of an emergency.

    Peck and Finck said the drill went well and that they didn't have any problems getting where they were supposed to be. Volunteers helping with the drill pointed the way, they said.

    Sophomore Nathan Solum agreed. Things went smoothly and there didn't seem to be much confusion, he said. He and other students were loaded on buses and dropped off at the front of CHS, then ushered through the point of dispensation route before leaving through the library and hopping on a bus to repeat the process.

    Gary Harms, superintendent of public schools, was the public information officer for the drill. It was supposed to be last year, but was postponed because of flooding in Aberdeen. Meetings to plan Wednesday's training began in October, he said.

    During an emergency, people would be bused to CHS from other locations in town and from cities in Day, Marshall, Edmunds and McPherson counties. There are 30 points of dispensation in South Dakota, and all are doing their own training.

    If 50,000 people had to be treated in Aberdeen in 48 hours, an average of 1,042 people an hour would have to be processed, officials said.

    Wednesday, that would have been accomplished. About 1,100 cases were handled in less than an hour. But, Harms said, everything would take longer during an actual emergency.
    For example, it would take longer to fill the medical information on forms than it was for students to answer a few basic questions Wednesday.

    Other concerns addressed during a post-drill briefing included:

    -- A bottleneck near the entrance were students where dropped off caused flow problems.

    -- Because the commons area is so large, people could stray from where they should be.

    -- A plan is needed for people who need alternate drugs because of an allergy or some other problem.

    -- Communications radio coverage was not as good as needed.

    -- The room used for people with medical coverage was too far from the entrance/triage area.

    -- Accommodations will have to be made for people who can't read or speak a language other than English.

    Officials said about 120 volunteers helped with Wednesday's drill, many of whom were CHS staffers.

    In an emergency, nearly 750 volunteers would be needed. They would work alternating 12-hour shifts with half working each shift. So far, Harms said, nearly 400 volunteers have signed up.
    Volunteers should call Brown County Emergency Management at (605) 626-7122 or the Aberdeen office of the South Dakota Department of Health at (605) 626-2649.

    Copyright (c) 2008, American News, Aberdeen, S.D.
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