Emergency Response
Smallpox. Pneumonic Plague. Anthrax.
What do all of these have in common? They are all life-threatening bioterrorist weapons. How is the Darke County Health Department preparing for bioterrorism?
Last year, The Department of Homeland Security was created to improve our country’s infrastructure. One way to improve infrastructure is to strengthen local health systems by improving communication between medical and disease surveillance personnel. This effort maximizes the overall biodefense of the nation.
A stockpile of antibiotics and vaccines have also been increased throughout the nation and are now readily available in the event of a crisis. The goal is to have enough medication on hand to treat up to 20 million people for anthrax, plague and other bio-terrorist diseases. We are preparing for the worst case scenario.
The money that the local government has received is to help improve our ability to cope with any bioterrorist attack. It is important to be able to recognize what is happening and how to respond in a modern way that will help our people survive any attack if it were to come.
The federal government wants to make sure each region has the proper equipment and training as well as the right amount of medicine to care for victims of any attack. Darke County is using this opportunity to upgrade communication systems with federal, state, and local authorities. It is also important that Darke County has good communication and working relationships with surrounding counties and local jurisdictions. We are adding sophisticated systems and plans so we can communicate and share information during a crisis. Sharing information will help save lives.
We must be prepared for the threat of biological terrorism - the deliberate use of disease as a weapon. The government is committed to improving the ability of state and local public health care systems to deal with bioterrorism. Our medical personnel is the first line of defense against bioterrorism because they will often be the first to recognize we are under a biological attack. This makes it essential for state and local health care providers to have the appropriate tools and training to carry out this mission.
Here at the Darke County Health Department, we have staff that monitors our county for disease outbreaks. Dennis Wein, RN, is the Darke County Health Department’s Infectious Disease Surveillance Nurse. Working closely with him is the regional Epidemiologist, Lori Ptak. She monitors disease outbreaks for Darke County as well as Miami and Shelby Counties. She has a strong background in Public Health as Miami County’s Infectious Disease Surveillance Nurse. The Health Department also has an Emergency Response Coordinator. This is a new position made available through the new Public Health Infrastructure Grant.
The Darke County Health Department works with the Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Medical System, Wayne Hospital, and local pharmacists. It is important to maintain contact and to share information regularly with counterparts and individuals maintaining a wide variety of roles. The Center for Disease Control website offers a wealth of information. Anyone with Internet access can view this website at www.cdc.gov.
Along with the Emergency Response Coordinator, the Health Commissioner and Board of Health are involved in bioterrorism preparedness. They have participated in bioterrorism simulated exercises. The Health Commissioner has been trained in Crisis Communication and Incident Command System. He also meets with all West Central Ohio’s Health Commissioners monthly and plans to go to Atlanta in November to obtain training on the Strategic National Stockpile.
Mass immunization clinic sites are being planned in the event of a disease outbreak requiring all of Darke County’s residents to be immunized in a short time. The plan is to inoculate Darke County’s 54,000 residents within a three-day period if there is an outbreak of an infectious disease such as Smallpox. The clinic site would be required to operate sixteen hours a day and would be staffed with as many as 117 medical and non-medical volunteers for each eight hours of operation. Twelve healthcare professionals would be needed at each site to administer the vaccination, but the majority of the volunteers would not need to have any medical credentials. People would be needed to show informational videos, do data entry, and even serve refreshments. The Darke County Health Department held Smallpox vaccination clinics this past spring and inoculated a total of 21 health department and hospital personnel.
The new bioterrorism program has been well received by the community. In the event of a crisis, many volunteers would be asked to step forward to help in the clinics and other areas of need. We are confident that Darke County residents would help fill in the gaps in an emergency. Future plans of the Emergency Response Coordinator include involving some area businesses in developing their own emergency response plans and training their employees.
Darke County terrorism preparedness has improved because of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant. The Emergency Response Plan for the health department has been revised and updated along with many other preparedness documents. The Health Department staff has all been trained in Incident Command System.
As the bioterrorism program begins its second fiscal year, we are concentrating on disease surveillance. This is being monitored more closely so that the slightest increase in a disease is noticed immediately The Epidemiologist is specially trained to investigate cases such as bioterrorism threats and food borne outbreaks.
Because of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, regionalization has occurred. This encourages the eight counties that surround Darke County to collaborate, network, and communicate more than ever before. If Darke County were to have a terrorist attack, these surrounding partners would come to help. In turn, we are there for them.
For questions for comments on Darke County’s Bioterrorism Program, you can contact the Emergency Response Coordinator at (937) 548-4196.