Public Health and Healthcare (Bio)Terrorism Preparedness and Response Program

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Public Health and Healthcare (Bio)Terrorism
Preparedness and Response Program

• Iowa Department of Public HealthDivision of
  Epidemiology, EMS and Disaster Operations
• Sharon Cook, BS, RDH

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A Look Back

• October 2001 - New Office created - Division of
  Epidemiology, EMS, and Disaster Operations (2003
  Legislature)
• April 2002 - Department of Health and Human
  Services Funding 12.8M- CDC public health
  11.5M- HRSA healthcare/EMS 1.3M

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A Look Back

• June 2002 Iowas First Public Health Congress
• 99 counties (BOH)
• Allocation of Local Public Health funds
• Build planning regions governance

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A Look Back

• Disaster/Terrorism Committees
• 6 Bio-terrorism Planning Regions
• August 2003 18M funding for public health and
  healthcare- CDC public health 12.6M- HRSA
  healthcare/EMS 5.4M

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Mission

• To provide a statewide, effective and sustainable
  program of public health and healthcare
  disaster/terrorism services across organizational
  boundaries of all stakeholders that is fully
  integrated into Iowas Homeland Security and
  Emergency Plan.

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Partnerships

• Healthcare
• Emergency Medical Services
• Public Health
• Laboratories
• Fire Service
• Hazmat
• Law Enforcement
• Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• State Agencies
• Federal Agencies

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Iowa (Bio)terrorism Committees

• CDC (public health) HRSA (healthcare)
• Bioterrorism Regional Steering Committees
• IA-DMAT (disaster medical assistance teams)
• SNS (strategic national stockpile)
• HAN (health alert network) and communications
• Laboratory

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Iowa (Bio)terrorism Planning Regions
Structure
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Why Regional Planning?

• Required by Grants
• Opportunity to identify and integrate resource
  capacities and capability
• Bring multiple response partners together
• Build upon existing county emergency response
  infrastructure
• Develop a regional response plan, ensuring
  integration into state Homeland Security and
  Emergency Plan

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(Bio)terrorism Regional Steering Committees

• CDC (public health)All county public health
  Hospitals
• EMSEmergency ManagementCommunity Health
  CentersIndian Health Services

• HRSA (healthcare)All Hospitals x2EMS (career
  volunteer)Emergency ManagementPublic Health
  Community Health CentersIndian Health Services

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The System Partnerships
Incident
County All Hazard Plan Emergency Management
Local Authority
Resource Capacity Capabilities
Regional Public Health and Healthcare
Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program
State Emergency Plan Iowa Homeland Security and
Emergency Management
State Authority
Federal
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State Emergency Response Plan

• Follows incident management system
• Defines what each department is tasked with doing
  in the event of a disaster
• Uses a multi-hazard approach to planning

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Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Plan

• IDPH Serves as LEAD agency for 4 annexes1.
  Medical Services2. Public Health3. Radiological
  Health4. Mass Fatalities

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Comprehensive Bio-Emergency Planning

• Smallpox
• WNV
• SNS
• Bio-Emergency Response Plan Template
• SARS Response Plan

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Iowa Accomplishments

• 99 local public health bioemergency plans
• 24/7 duty officer call system with 800 number
• Regional capacity and resource sharing plans
• Comprehensive needs assessment
• Public health disaster legislation
• SNS plan and full scale exercise

• Purchased and equipped all hospitals with
  portable decontamination showers and PPE
• UHL connection with sentinel labs
• 99 high speed internet connection
• HAN, 24/7 emergency contacts
• Regional epidemiology program

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Iowa Accomplishments

• Risk communication training in each region
• Five volunteer disaster medical assistance teams
• Environmental sampling teams and kits
• Comprehensive survey of level a and b
  laboratories
• Laboratory response plan
• Security plan for information systems
• PIO go kits

• Learning management system
• EMS start triage program
• Regional tabletop scenarios
• Established redundant communication system with
  all hospitals with 800 mHz radios
• Identified mass dispensing/vaccination sites in
  all counties

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Iowa Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (IA-DMAT)

• Volunteer force of medical, public health and
  environmental health professionals
• No pay, but receive legal protections as state
  employees while deployed to a disaster site

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IA-DMAT

• Five sponsoring hospitals
• Not an employee of the hospital
• Administration and equipment role
• On-call every five months

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IA-DMAT Iowans Helping Iowans

• A state resource, in the event of a disaster that
  overwhelms local medical capabilities
• IA-DMATs do not leave Iowa
• Work in austere conditions or in a hospital

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Challenges

• Transforming public health and healthcare
• Budget deficits and workforce shortages
• Commitment to sustain support and funding to
  build our system of emergency preparedness and
  response
• Maintaining the momentum to continue with
  preparedness and response activities

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Thank You!