A Public Health Approach to Combating Bioterrorism - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 14
About This Presentation
Title:

A Public Health Approach to Combating Bioterrorism

Description:

... disease reporting system / maintenance only by public health professionals ... Environmental Health. Industrial Hygienist available for indoor air quality ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:15
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 15
Provided by: T0026
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: A Public Health Approach to Combating Bioterrorism


1
A Public Health Approach to Combating Bioterrorism
Tarrant County
  • Tarrant County Public Health
  • Peggy Wittie, PhD
  • Epidemiology Surveillance Response Manager /
    Bioterrorism Preparedness Coordinator

2
Overview
  • Commonalities with Other Counties
  • Satellite Systems for Downlinking
  • RedBat
  • Redundant Communication Ssytems
  • Regional Media Campaign
  • Cross County Cooperation

3
Overview cont.
  • Differences with Other Counties
  • Quadrant Health Teams
  • Operable Broadcast FAX
  • Evaluation of 2 Syndromic Systems
  • Laboratory Capacity

4
Health Response Teams (HRT)- Organization -
  • 4 quadrants in county
  • At least 1 satellite office in each quadrant with
    a HRT
  • Each team has one Epidemiology Investigator and
    one Health Response Nurse

5
Health Response Teams - Functions -
  • Assist community partners in bioterrorism
    preparedness
  • Assist and train Community Emergency Response
    Teams (CERT)
  • Investigate potential bioterrorism risks and
    threats

6
Texas Health Alert Network
  • Statewide, secure intranet
  • Connects 65 Regional Local Public Health
    Departments

7
Texas Health Alert Network
  • Provides secure network for communicable disease
    reporting system / maintenance only by public
    health professionals
  • Maintains physician, veterinarian, pharmacists,
    ICPs, EMTs, hospital laboratory contact
    database
  • Broadcast FAX can be used to send alerts to 1450
    FAX numbers of Tarrant County providers
  • Provides additional workstation resources

8
Syndromic Surveillance
  • Two hospitals are currently partners
  • Software for seven additional hospitals that are
    interested in joining
  • Will conduct evaluation of syndromic surveillance
    to study trends
  • Comparison of EMSystems and RedBat Syndromic
    Surveillance Systems

9
Syndromic Surveillance
  • Buying webserver to facilitate web-based
    reporting
  • EMSystemsdeveloping email-based reporting system
  • Novelldeveloping integrated browser-based
    communicable disease intake form for direct input
    into TxEDSS NEDSS

10
Communications Equipment
  • Ten hand-held radios (800 MHz) linking TCPHD with
    public safety agencies (law enforcement, fire,
    emergency management)
  • Four hand-held radios (450 MHz) linking TCPHD
    with smaller, local fire and HazMat agencies
  • Satellite phones

11
BT Training
  • Tarrant County has conducted assessment of staff
    BT training needs
  • Developed strategic plan, Public Health Ready, to
    train public health workforce
  • BT trainers will train workforce to assure
    readiness cross-training

12
Environmental Health
  • Industrial Hygienist available for indoor air
    quality assessments
  • Industrial Hygienists critical to investigations
    of anthrax scare in Washington, DC
  • HazMat teams had no training heating vents, air
    conditioning controls, air flow patterns,
    structural integrity of buildings

13
BT Laboratory Capacity
  • Will receive certification as Confirmatory Lab
  • Will do confirmatory tests for Category A agents,
    except smallpox, and certain toxins
  • For smallpox, do screening tests, such as for
    monkey pox

14
Regulatory Food Borne Laboratory Capacity
  • North TX Regional Lab for 39 countiesfor Milk
    Dairy
  • Water testing for cities in 39 county area
    without own labs
  • Can do enteric pathogen testing shigella,
    salmonella, Ecoli 0157
  • Looking at cooperative agreements between
    commercial and government laboratories to build
    surge capacity
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com