TheFluMaster
Resident
Pandemic drill features free flu shots
Elias C. Arnold
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 26, 2006 12:23 PM
A woman sat still, her eyes cast down and her left arm resting on a table as she waited to feel the prick of a needle.
"That's it?" Ann Moeding-Evans asked a moment later, her face contorted with surprise and disbelief. "It is painless."
Moeding-Evans, personnel director for the Town of Gilbert, was one of hundreds of people who participated in a town-sponsored immunization drill Wednesday evening at McQueen Park Activity Center. The drill simulated a mass vaccination clinic that could be used during a flu pandemic.
The town spent nearly $27,000 on 1,800 doses of flu vaccine to provide free vaccinations for employees and their families, testing the immunization system and potentially preventing lost work time during the upcoming flu season. Organizers estimated hundreds of people participated, though an official count was not immediately made.
Matt McCabe, a town building inspector and father of three, brought his family and was surprised the experience took only a small fraction of the half hour he expected.
"The longest part was just saying hi to everybody and talking to everybody," said McCabe, of Mesa.
Wednesday's drill and a table-top exercise Thursday, in which department heads and other town employees used the Gilbert's pandemic plan to guide decision-making in a hypothetical flu outbreak, served as a practical test of months of planning by the town's pandemic planning task force, said Sheri Gibbons, emergency manager for Gilbert Fire Department.
"It's definitely not the end of planning by any means," Gibbons said.
The plan, which calls for police and firefighters to work 12-hour shifts to make up for employees out sick and recommends town administrators telecommute to prevent infection, will be continually reassessed as the world's health climate changes, she said.
As the taskforce reviews its findings from the exercise, Gilbert's next focus will be public education, recommending residents get seasonal flu shots via public service announcements on local access television, Gibbons said.
Capt. James Nelson, in charge of Gilbert fire's Emergency Medical Services training and coordinator for the drill, said Wednesday's event highlighted the need for a larger facility, additional parking and forming a clear line early to keep crowds moving.
"There's always room for improvement," Nelson said.
The 16 certified immunizers and assistants handling paperwork spent some time waiting for patients during the three-hour clinic but the downtime was worth it to keep people moving, Nelson said.
"If people have to wait they're not going to be happy," he said.
Only about a third of the department's nearly 60 paramedics are trained to administer vaccine, and the department plans to train all paramedics as immunizers in the next few years, Nelson said.
But even with expanded training, the department might not have all of its vaccinators available.
The town anticipates up to 50 percent of its staff would be unable to work during a pandemic, and departments have been cross-training employees for several months to continue essential services like wastewater treatment and trash pick-up, said Greg Svelund, a town spokesman.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/1026gr-vaccines1026-ON.html#
Elias C. Arnold
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 26, 2006 12:23 PM
A woman sat still, her eyes cast down and her left arm resting on a table as she waited to feel the prick of a needle.
"That's it?" Ann Moeding-Evans asked a moment later, her face contorted with surprise and disbelief. "It is painless."
Moeding-Evans, personnel director for the Town of Gilbert, was one of hundreds of people who participated in a town-sponsored immunization drill Wednesday evening at McQueen Park Activity Center. The drill simulated a mass vaccination clinic that could be used during a flu pandemic.
The town spent nearly $27,000 on 1,800 doses of flu vaccine to provide free vaccinations for employees and their families, testing the immunization system and potentially preventing lost work time during the upcoming flu season. Organizers estimated hundreds of people participated, though an official count was not immediately made.
Matt McCabe, a town building inspector and father of three, brought his family and was surprised the experience took only a small fraction of the half hour he expected.
"The longest part was just saying hi to everybody and talking to everybody," said McCabe, of Mesa.
Wednesday's drill and a table-top exercise Thursday, in which department heads and other town employees used the Gilbert's pandemic plan to guide decision-making in a hypothetical flu outbreak, served as a practical test of months of planning by the town's pandemic planning task force, said Sheri Gibbons, emergency manager for Gilbert Fire Department.
"It's definitely not the end of planning by any means," Gibbons said.
The plan, which calls for police and firefighters to work 12-hour shifts to make up for employees out sick and recommends town administrators telecommute to prevent infection, will be continually reassessed as the world's health climate changes, she said.
As the taskforce reviews its findings from the exercise, Gilbert's next focus will be public education, recommending residents get seasonal flu shots via public service announcements on local access television, Gibbons said.
Capt. James Nelson, in charge of Gilbert fire's Emergency Medical Services training and coordinator for the drill, said Wednesday's event highlighted the need for a larger facility, additional parking and forming a clear line early to keep crowds moving.
"There's always room for improvement," Nelson said.
The 16 certified immunizers and assistants handling paperwork spent some time waiting for patients during the three-hour clinic but the downtime was worth it to keep people moving, Nelson said.
"If people have to wait they're not going to be happy," he said.
Only about a third of the department's nearly 60 paramedics are trained to administer vaccine, and the department plans to train all paramedics as immunizers in the next few years, Nelson said.
But even with expanded training, the department might not have all of its vaccinators available.
The town anticipates up to 50 percent of its staff would be unable to work during a pandemic, and departments have been cross-training employees for several months to continue essential services like wastewater treatment and trash pick-up, said Greg Svelund, a town spokesman.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/1026gr-vaccines1026-ON.html#