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Exercise features bird flu scenario
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| The Midland Health Department hosts a regional disaster exercise discussion Tuesday afternoon. Photo by Reid Merritt 5/13/08 |
By Ruth Campbell
Staff Writer
City, county, state and federal health officials worked on emergency plans Tuesday on what to do if bird flu strikes Midland.
Texas Department of State Health Services Epidemiology Response Team Risk Communicator/Educator Gerald “Jerry” Damm facilitated the exercise, held at the health department office.
The exercises are held yearly and helps officials keep up on what to do if emergencies of various types strike. It also gives them a chance to revise or spot gaps in existing plans.
The exercise included messages from various community entities asking questions about what to do or offering information. During the exercise, officials have video conference access to colleagues anywhere in the state or country.
“We have a lot of people calling in sick from the workplace and the school district,” Health Administrator Celestino “Sal” Garcia said during the drill. “Our goal is to educate our citizens and try to protect them as much as we can.”
As time passes, schools are closed and health department volunteers, such as school nurses, are called on for help. As daycare centers close, the health department itself has to worry about employees going home.
The health department has provisions for its employees and their children and first responders and their families to come to the senior center. Midland County Emergency Management Coordinator Dale Little said the county will not accept influx of patients from outside the county.
“We have avian flu here and all over the state. We’re proceeding to educate our community with public service announcements,” Garcia said. “We’re trying to get things ready for first responders, their families and kids.”
Meanwhile, Garcia said health officials still are trying to figure out what is spreading the illness — whether it’s a bird or cat.
The Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission is running the exercise and similar scenarios were played out Tuesday in Odessa, Winkler, Andrews, Gaines and Dawson counties, Damm said.
“The idea of the exercise is to understand how agencies and organizations work together in a pandemic flu situation,” Damm said. “By doing this role playing, the responding agencies are better able to coordinate a response to the problem.”
There are a variety of exercises like this annually.
“This one is geared more toward public health and health care,” he said, adding having the drills impacts funding. “It ensures the public will get adequate response to a situation. The idea is that we can respond and recover from a public health emergency.”
An after action review — to go over what went right and wrong in the exercise — will be held at the Region 18 Education Service Center auditorium at 1 p.m. Thursday.
———
Ruth Campbell can be reached at ruth@mrt.com.
City, county, state and federal health officials worked on emergency plans Tuesday on what to do if bird flu strikes Midland.
Texas Department of State Health Services Epidemiology Response Team Risk Communicator/Educator Gerald “Jerry” Damm facilitated the exercise, held at the health department office.
The exercises are held yearly and helps officials keep up on what to do if emergencies of various types strike. It also gives them a chance to revise or spot gaps in existing plans.
The exercise included messages from various community entities asking questions about what to do or offering information. During the exercise, officials have video conference access to colleagues anywhere in the state or country.
“We have a lot of people calling in sick from the workplace and the school district,” Health Administrator Celestino “Sal” Garcia said during the drill. “Our goal is to educate our citizens and try to protect them as much as we can.”
As time passes, schools are closed and health department volunteers, such as school nurses, are called on for help. As daycare centers close, the health department itself has to worry about employees going home.
The health department has provisions for its employees and their children and first responders and their families to come to the senior center. Midland County Emergency Management Coordinator Dale Little said the county will not accept influx of patients from outside the county.
“We have avian flu here and all over the state. We’re proceeding to educate our community with public service announcements,” Garcia said. “We’re trying to get things ready for first responders, their families and kids.”
Meanwhile, Garcia said health officials still are trying to figure out what is spreading the illness — whether it’s a bird or cat.
The Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission is running the exercise and similar scenarios were played out Tuesday in Odessa, Winkler, Andrews, Gaines and Dawson counties, Damm said.
“The idea of the exercise is to understand how agencies and organizations work together in a pandemic flu situation,” Damm said. “By doing this role playing, the responding agencies are better able to coordinate a response to the problem.”
There are a variety of exercises like this annually.
“This one is geared more toward public health and health care,” he said, adding having the drills impacts funding. “It ensures the public will get adequate response to a situation. The idea is that we can respond and recover from a public health emergency.”
An after action review — to go over what went right and wrong in the exercise — will be held at the Region 18 Education Service Center auditorium at 1 p.m. Thursday.
———
Ruth Campbell can be reached at ruth@mrt.com.
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