Ohio: Pandemic Prep Letter to Food Retailers

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Ohio: Pandemic Prep Letter to Food Retailers

To Retail Food Establishments:
The best time to prepare for an emergency is before it happens. When that emergency is an influenza pandemic affecting millions in Ohio, the United States and around the world, planning and preparation are absolutely critical. Therefore, we?re pleased to provide this copy of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Guide for Retail Food Establishments (RFEs)
? Grocers.
This guide, created by the Ohio Food Industry Foundation and the Ohio Department of Health, focuses on maintaining business continuity during and after an influenza pandemic. This is of extreme importance, as up to 40 percent of the workforce may be out sick or caring for sick loved ones in a worst-case pandemic. This guide is just one of many publica-
tions created by ODH as a part of its pandemic flu planning and Ohio?s overall pandemic flu strategy.
For more information, please visit http://www.ohiopandemicflu.gov.
We think this guide may provide you with useful tools and perhaps some new ideas in your
planning and preparation. Please read it carefully. Remember---it?s not a question of if an
influenza pandemic will hit Ohio---it?s a matter of when.
We gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in the creation of this Guide.
J. Nick Baird, M.D.
Tom Jackson, CAE
Director, Ohio Department of Health
President, CEO
Ohio Grocers Association
Ohio Food Industry Foundation

 

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Re: Ohio: Pandemic Prep Letter to Food Retailers

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Guide for Retail Food Establishments (pdf)

This Guide was developed by a partnership between the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Food Industry Foundation. Funding was provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Bioterrorism Grant # u901ccu516983.

The purpose of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Guide for Retail Food Establishments is to help the industry prepare for an influenza pandemic.

Note: The Guide is a broad overview of what grocers can do to prepare for an Influenza Pandemic. Some of the information
in the Guide may not apply to your store. Please use the information that best meets your needs.

Employee absences are projected to be between 30-40%. Employees will be facing many needs in taking care of themselves and their families. For planning purposes, you should assume that, at times, some departments may only be operating at a 50% staffing level. Employees will face a natural conflict between the need to earn money and the need to protect themselves and their families.