Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Officials: Snow havoc small compared to avian flu
Emergency planners in Odessa have been preparing for possible outbreak for about 18 months
BY GEOFF FOLSOM
Odessa American
Grocery store shelves clearing out. Gas pumps empty. People wondering whether the services they rely on will be operational.
When this happens because of the mere potential of a snowstorm, which could shut people in their homes for a few days, questions have to arise about how well Odessa would be prepared should the avian, or bird, flu break out.
?I think mostly people are not prepared for something long-term like that,? Odessa Emergency Management Coordinator Dale Childers said. ?But emergency management in the area and state and federal government have a lot of people in place.?
OFFICIALS WORKING
Although individuals may not be sure how to handle an outbreak, Childers said his people have been working on the avian flu puzzle for about 18 months.
This includes a Web-based credential system that allows emergency personnel to prove who they are without going through a lengthy process, he said. Difficulty with credentials led to problems after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
?If there is a situation in Abilene or Lamesa, we can send our doctors and nurses there and make sure they are credentialed,? Childers said of a test program Odessa is participating in.
Another new program allows for 14 regional hospitals to check on each other. Childers said this allows officials to see which hospitals are full and which would be able to take in more patients in case of an outbreak. They can also see which hospitals need equipment, such as ventilators.
?With the emergency management system, we can look at all of the hospitals as far as moving people around,? Childers said.
COURSES OF TREATMENT
Exactly how treatment would take place is to be determined by recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Ector County Health Department, Dr. Bruce Becker, Medical Center Hospital?s chief medical officer, said.
The hospital?s board recently approved the purchase of 7,500 10-day courses of treatment of Tamiflu at a discounted rate, designed to be given to hospital workers and their families. Tamiflu is currently the only recommended drug to fight the avian flu.
?If ever there was a situation where a quarter of the population gets sick, who is going to take care of you all if hospital workers are sick and dying?? Becker said.
It is also normal protocol for hospitals to reserve treatment for worker?s family members before allocating them to the general public, Becker said.
?If you have a family member who is ill, you also lose staff and physicians,? he said. ?Someone has to take care of them.?
An avian flu vaccine may not be far off, Becker said.
?They are currently developing and testing DNA, genetically engineered vaccines,? he said. ?Hopefully, that will prevent it from occurring.?
AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER
Among the crucial responses should an outbreak occur is to keep the public from panicking, Childers said.
?We have a full-blown plan in place as far as getting information out,? he said. ?What you would see is a concerted effort by the local, state, regional (officials), all the way up to the CDC. Good information is very important.?
Within the region, Becker said agencies like school districts and businesses are working together with hospitals and health departments on combating a potential outbreak. A plan originally developed for SARS is a large part of what is being put together.
?It?s not just a hospital plan,? he said. ?We?re cooperating with many agencies.?
Charitable and faith-based organizations are among the agencies the health department is working with, said Sallie Connor, the department?s public health preparedness program manager.
PREPARATIONS
Stocking up on food and water to avoid the inevitable run on grocery stores is among the wise steps people can do to prepare for an outbreak, Connor said. A three-to-four week supply is advised.
Simple tasks like good hand washing and coughing into a tissue can also help, she said.
?If you?re sick, try not to go out in public,? she said. ?Stay home and take care at home.?
Connor does advise businesses to make preparations in case they lose staff due to an outbreak. This can cause concern with many area businesses already struggling to find employees.
But there are advantages that Permian Basin residents have, Connor said. Among these is that they do not live in as close quarters as people in some parts of Asia where avian flu outbreaks have happened.
?We?re maybe a little more fortunate in that we?re more rural,? she said. ?We?re not as urban as some metropolitan areas.?
Emergency planners in Odessa have been preparing for possible outbreak for about 18 months
BY GEOFF FOLSOM
Odessa American
Grocery store shelves clearing out. Gas pumps empty. People wondering whether the services they rely on will be operational.
When this happens because of the mere potential of a snowstorm, which could shut people in their homes for a few days, questions have to arise about how well Odessa would be prepared should the avian, or bird, flu break out.
?I think mostly people are not prepared for something long-term like that,? Odessa Emergency Management Coordinator Dale Childers said. ?But emergency management in the area and state and federal government have a lot of people in place.?
OFFICIALS WORKING
Although individuals may not be sure how to handle an outbreak, Childers said his people have been working on the avian flu puzzle for about 18 months.
This includes a Web-based credential system that allows emergency personnel to prove who they are without going through a lengthy process, he said. Difficulty with credentials led to problems after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
?If there is a situation in Abilene or Lamesa, we can send our doctors and nurses there and make sure they are credentialed,? Childers said of a test program Odessa is participating in.
Another new program allows for 14 regional hospitals to check on each other. Childers said this allows officials to see which hospitals are full and which would be able to take in more patients in case of an outbreak. They can also see which hospitals need equipment, such as ventilators.
?With the emergency management system, we can look at all of the hospitals as far as moving people around,? Childers said.
COURSES OF TREATMENT
Exactly how treatment would take place is to be determined by recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Ector County Health Department, Dr. Bruce Becker, Medical Center Hospital?s chief medical officer, said.
The hospital?s board recently approved the purchase of 7,500 10-day courses of treatment of Tamiflu at a discounted rate, designed to be given to hospital workers and their families. Tamiflu is currently the only recommended drug to fight the avian flu.
?If ever there was a situation where a quarter of the population gets sick, who is going to take care of you all if hospital workers are sick and dying?? Becker said.
It is also normal protocol for hospitals to reserve treatment for worker?s family members before allocating them to the general public, Becker said.
?If you have a family member who is ill, you also lose staff and physicians,? he said. ?Someone has to take care of them.?
An avian flu vaccine may not be far off, Becker said.
?They are currently developing and testing DNA, genetically engineered vaccines,? he said. ?Hopefully, that will prevent it from occurring.?
AGENCIES WORK TOGETHER
Among the crucial responses should an outbreak occur is to keep the public from panicking, Childers said.
?We have a full-blown plan in place as far as getting information out,? he said. ?What you would see is a concerted effort by the local, state, regional (officials), all the way up to the CDC. Good information is very important.?
Within the region, Becker said agencies like school districts and businesses are working together with hospitals and health departments on combating a potential outbreak. A plan originally developed for SARS is a large part of what is being put together.
?It?s not just a hospital plan,? he said. ?We?re cooperating with many agencies.?
Charitable and faith-based organizations are among the agencies the health department is working with, said Sallie Connor, the department?s public health preparedness program manager.
PREPARATIONS
Stocking up on food and water to avoid the inevitable run on grocery stores is among the wise steps people can do to prepare for an outbreak, Connor said. A three-to-four week supply is advised.
Simple tasks like good hand washing and coughing into a tissue can also help, she said.
?If you?re sick, try not to go out in public,? she said. ?Stay home and take care at home.?
Connor does advise businesses to make preparations in case they lose staff due to an outbreak. This can cause concern with many area businesses already struggling to find employees.
But there are advantages that Permian Basin residents have, Connor said. Among these is that they do not live in as close quarters as people in some parts of Asia where avian flu outbreaks have happened.
?We?re maybe a little more fortunate in that we?re more rural,? she said. ?We?re not as urban as some metropolitan areas.?