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Source: http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2008/06/21/news/local/doc485bd04576eef118645079.txt
Drill focuses on special populations during flu pandemic
By Jim Osborn josborn@columbustelegram.com
Friday, Jun 20, 2008 - 11:08:20 am CDT
COLUMBUS -- A database of potential community resources and a prepared message to calm public fears are a couple of ways local emergency response officials can brace for the possibility of a deadly flu outbreak.
That was the conclusion of more than 35 emergency response officials during an exercise Thursday aimed at preparing special populations for the possibility of a flu pandemic sweeping the globe.
?What I?m hearing today is that people think we should have a prepared, generic message ready to communicate to the public and relook at compiling a database of resources,?? said Rebecca Rayman, executive director of the East-Central District Health Department.
The health department sponsored Thursday?s drill targeting special populations, including people with physical disabilities, visual impairments and communication disorders.
?We want to avoid a Katrina-type situation where people were left behind,?? said Rayman, recalling the devastating 2005 New Orleans hurricane that left nursing home residents and hospital patients stranded for days by floodwaters.
One of the drill?s scenarios focused on providing clear guidance on how to assist individuals with disabilities, their families and the agencies that serve them in dealing with pandemic flu while quelling public fears about the availability of vaccine supplies.
The health department got a preview of the problems that could arise during an emergency recently when Shell Creek spilled out of its banks and flooded scores of Schuyler homes. The department staged a tetanus vaccine clinic to protect residents from the possibility of infection.
?The health department didn?t anticipate 200 people standing in line, including a frail woman in her 80s and people with developmental disabilities,?? Rayman said. ?We had never vaccinated 700 people before.?
Information gleaned from Thursday?s drill will help the health district in polishing its preparedness plan for special populations in the event of a public health emergency.
Representatives of Columbus Community Hospital, Alegent Health, Genoa Community Hospital, Red Cross, United Way, Catholic Charities, law enforcement for Schuyler and Columbus, ServeNebraska, Citizen Corps, Emergency Management, Dialysis Center, Public Health, Visually Impaired Peer Support Group and Rural Region One Medical Response System were among those attending the drill.
The need for a database of community resources, such as a list of volunteers available to help special populations with transportation to vaccine sites and identifying people with the highest priority for getting the vaccine, was the consensus of emergency response officials.
A database could include the names and telephone numbers of volunteers who could help with the social distancing needed to get a flu pandemic under control, said Sandra Jochens, the emergency room clinical manager at Columbus Community Hospital.
The volunteers could help with chores such as delivering groceries to people to stop the spread of the virus, Jochens said.
Meanwhile, emergency agencies must speak with one voice when it comes to communicating with the public about dealing with the flu outbreak, said Mike Oglevie, the city?s human resources director.
?The message has to be the same,?? Oglevie said.
The health district could utilize recorded messages that could be played over and over on radio and television advising people about the spread of the virus and stamping out rumors and misinformation, Oglevie said.
?Uniformity is the key,?? Oglevie said. ?If someone (or some agency) makes an exception, the whole thing starts to crumble.?
Rural Region One Medical Response System will sponsor a full scale exercise July 15-17 that includes all the hospitals in the region, including the Columbus hospital.
Drill focuses on special populations during flu pandemic
By Jim Osborn josborn@columbustelegram.com
Friday, Jun 20, 2008 - 11:08:20 am CDT
COLUMBUS -- A database of potential community resources and a prepared message to calm public fears are a couple of ways local emergency response officials can brace for the possibility of a deadly flu outbreak.
That was the conclusion of more than 35 emergency response officials during an exercise Thursday aimed at preparing special populations for the possibility of a flu pandemic sweeping the globe.
?What I?m hearing today is that people think we should have a prepared, generic message ready to communicate to the public and relook at compiling a database of resources,?? said Rebecca Rayman, executive director of the East-Central District Health Department.
The health department sponsored Thursday?s drill targeting special populations, including people with physical disabilities, visual impairments and communication disorders.
?We want to avoid a Katrina-type situation where people were left behind,?? said Rayman, recalling the devastating 2005 New Orleans hurricane that left nursing home residents and hospital patients stranded for days by floodwaters.
One of the drill?s scenarios focused on providing clear guidance on how to assist individuals with disabilities, their families and the agencies that serve them in dealing with pandemic flu while quelling public fears about the availability of vaccine supplies.
The health department got a preview of the problems that could arise during an emergency recently when Shell Creek spilled out of its banks and flooded scores of Schuyler homes. The department staged a tetanus vaccine clinic to protect residents from the possibility of infection.
?The health department didn?t anticipate 200 people standing in line, including a frail woman in her 80s and people with developmental disabilities,?? Rayman said. ?We had never vaccinated 700 people before.?
Information gleaned from Thursday?s drill will help the health district in polishing its preparedness plan for special populations in the event of a public health emergency.
Representatives of Columbus Community Hospital, Alegent Health, Genoa Community Hospital, Red Cross, United Way, Catholic Charities, law enforcement for Schuyler and Columbus, ServeNebraska, Citizen Corps, Emergency Management, Dialysis Center, Public Health, Visually Impaired Peer Support Group and Rural Region One Medical Response System were among those attending the drill.
The need for a database of community resources, such as a list of volunteers available to help special populations with transportation to vaccine sites and identifying people with the highest priority for getting the vaccine, was the consensus of emergency response officials.
A database could include the names and telephone numbers of volunteers who could help with the social distancing needed to get a flu pandemic under control, said Sandra Jochens, the emergency room clinical manager at Columbus Community Hospital.
The volunteers could help with chores such as delivering groceries to people to stop the spread of the virus, Jochens said.
Meanwhile, emergency agencies must speak with one voice when it comes to communicating with the public about dealing with the flu outbreak, said Mike Oglevie, the city?s human resources director.
?The message has to be the same,?? Oglevie said.
The health district could utilize recorded messages that could be played over and over on radio and television advising people about the spread of the virus and stamping out rumors and misinformation, Oglevie said.
?Uniformity is the key,?? Oglevie said. ?If someone (or some agency) makes an exception, the whole thing starts to crumble.?
Rural Region One Medical Response System will sponsor a full scale exercise July 15-17 that includes all the hospitals in the region, including the Columbus hospital.