Emergency Preparedness
Large-scale emergencies such as 9/11 and, more recently, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have highlighted how crucial emergency planning is in arming communities with the skills they need to deal with potential public-health-related hazards.
Police, fire, and EMS are well-versed in emergency response; however, the role of public health in emergency situations is often overlooked. While many towns and cities are currently working on emergency plans, the public health component of these plans is often conspicuously absent. Given that many of the major threats facing our nation today are health related (bioterrorism, disease pandemics, natural disasters), this is a crucial missing piece. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) have directed grant money towards local Boards of Health throughout the state to engage in emergency planning to increase interoperability and preparedness.
The Public Health Emergency Preparedness Grants that BCBOHA administrates began in 2004. The first year of funding focused on supplying local Boards of Health with the equipment to begin the process of preparing for emergencies: computers, printers, etc. Since then, the CDC and MDPH have asked Local Boards of Health to create and refine Emergency Dispensing Site (EDS) Plans, Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP), All Hazards Plans, and Pandemic Flu Plans, as well as work on issues of communication, volunteer recruitment, and mutual aid.
BCBOHA has assisted Local Boards of Health with these deliverables in several ways. First, in collaboration with other Public Health Coalitions in Western Massachusetts, BCBOHA has created step-by-step templates to guide Boards of Health and communities through the planning process. More information on the goals of each plan and a download-able copy of each template can be found below. Second, BCBOHA has hired emergency planners to assist Berkshire Boards of Health with their planning. If your community is not currently working with one of BCBOHA's planners and would like to, please contact BCBOHA. And finally, BCBOHA has written regional emergency plans for the county, has collaborated with the other Western Massachusetts Counties on aspects of preparedness, and has worked to expand the Berkshire Medical Reserve Corps.
The process of planning for a public-health-related emergency, in which bonds are formed between committed individuals and departments and the strengths and vulnerabilities of a community are explored, is a valuable and worthwhile (as well as exhausting, frustrating and time-consuming) experience!
Please contact BCBOHA if you have questions, would like more information, or are interested in having one of BCBOHA's Emergency Planners assist you with a project.
BCBOHA's Emergency Planners:
Amy Carey, BCBOHA Emergency Response Coordinator / Public Health Emergency Planner, email Amy
Sandra Martin, Public Health Emergency Planner, email Sandra
Vivian Orlowski, Public Health Emergency Planner, email Vivian
Emergency Planning Templates:
The goal of this plan is to enable communities to vaccinate or dispense medication to their entire population in a short period of time. It requires considerable collaboration with other municipal departments as well as the identification of several sources of volunteers to help staff the dispensing site. Many towns have paired up to create EDS plans that serve more than one community.
Continuity of Operations Templates
In the case of a pandemic influenza or other emergency situation in which a large number of staff are out sick or home caring for sick family members, a fair amount of planning needs to be done to ensure that the essential duties of a Board of Health or Municipality continue. This template also assists Boards and Communities in identifying alternative locations for municipal offices in a situation where the usual office spaces are unavailable.
In larger communities, it makes sense for each department (including the Board of Health) as well as the Municipality as a whole to have a COOP. In smaller towns, it often works better to write one COOP that encompasses all town departments. For that reason, BCBOHA has created two COOP templates.
A pandemic influenza outbreak is a public health emergency thatt will affect every sector of your community. BCBOHA encourages communities to create a Pandemic Flu Planning Committee made up of members of your Board of Health as well as representatives from schools, businesses, utilities, and emergency response services. Many aspects of pandemic flu preparedness must take place on a town by town level. However, creating a plan to keep your community functioning during a pandemic that may go on for several months and will likely leave your community isolated from any help outside of your own resources is a daunting task that may be best served in some ways by collaborating with other communities in your region. Currently there are several regional Panflu Planning groups. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, contact BCBOHA.
This is the Public Health component of your community's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). BCBOHA has filled out the majority of this template with county-wide information. We suggest that you review the template, add any relevant community-specific information, and give a copy to your Emergency Management Director to add to the CEMP.
