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Source: http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=c461416e68463944
Emergency preparedness team needs volunteers
By John Tompkins
The Facts
Published March 24, 2009
It could be a mutated form of the influenza virus that has Brazoria County residents nauseated, aching and burning up with fever and clogging up local hospitals.
Maybe a terrorist attack has spread anthrax throughout the area, causing people to have chills, night sweats and enlarged lymph nodes.
Or a chemical truck overturns, leaking a toxic substance that fills the air and causes serious problems for thousands of people nearby.
While many residents would look for a way to get out of Brazoria County in a catastrophic event, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness team is looking for several hundred people to stay behind as volunteers at point of distribution sites for medical treatment.
So far, the preparedness team has only about 100, said Jo Mapel, director of the Brazoria County Health Department?s Public Health Emergency Preparedness.
There are countless catastrophic scenarios that would overwhelm local hospitals and require a rapid response to reduce the number of casualties, Mapel said.
It isn?t known how many points of distribution would be open during an event, but there would need to be about 650 volunteers per location, said Barbara Perkins, health preparedness facilitator.
?You need people who are greeters,? Perkins said. ?You need people who are directing parking. You also need people taking care of your volunteers.?
The team also is looking for volunteers who are licensed to give injections, including doctors and veterinarians. The team has only about 30 who have volunteered, Mapel said.
When asked how many it needs, Mapel said, ?We could use as many as we could get.?
THE TEAM
The emergency preparedness team is a handful of people from varying backgrounds. Mapel is a registered nurse and Perkins is a former school principal. The stockpile coordinator David Stroud has a masters in business administration and assistant Tamara Grayson has an accounting background.
Having different perspectives will help ensure the response takes everything into account, including treatment, handling casualties and communication, Mapel said.
?We want to make sure we have a viable plan,? she said.
The team was assembled from Department of Homeland Security grant money in 2004 to prepare a response to a catastrophic event.
While the team quietly toils in its efforts to get ready for a disaster everyone hopes never happens, its work important, said Steve Rosa, assistant emergency management coordinator and a former member of the team.
?It?s like insurance,? he said. ?In a full-blown anthrax attack, you would have to medicate the entire county within 48 hours. That?s their mission.?
GETTING READY
Aside from building an army of volunteers for catastrophic response, the emergency preparedness team also works on setting up the points of distribution. That includes deciding where to set them up and getting supplies from one of 12 Strategic National Stockpiles.
The six scenarios the preparedness team especially focuses on are outbreaks of the Ebola virus, botulism, the plague, anthrax spores, smallpox, tularemia (or rabbit fever) and influenza.
Emergency preparedness teams call those scenarios ?the big six.?
The team also prepares for other events, like a nuclear attack or a chemical spill.
?Anything that overwhelms our emergency response system,? Mapel said.
The most likely scenario that would happen would be some form of influenza that has mutated and transfers from person to person, the team said.
?Pandemic influenza is a scary, scary thing,? Rosa said.
If the county ever is hit with an influenza virus like the avian flu, it is estimated more than 83,000 Brazoria County residents would be ill, 9,000 would need hospitalization and more than 1,700 would die, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A catastrophic event involving a pandemic first would be noticed by the Brazoria County Health Department, which tracks the number of people diagnosed with such diseases, the team said.
Once the catastrophe is noticed, local officials would have to send requests for aid up the chain of command to the governor. After aid is granted, the preparedness team would start using supplies from the stockpiles to help those in need.
The supplies will be delivered from one of the 12 classified stockpile locations to Brazoria County, then distributed through the points of distribution and other sites.
?Some businesses could get bulk medication for employees and their families,? Mapel said.
That would help ease the burden on the volunteers trying to treat area residents, as well as local hospitals, she said.
?We would be a cog in that distribution,? said Jay Sampson, Brazosport Regional Health System assistant vice president of facilities.
The team coordinates with the hospital to build a response because the hospital?s care would not be enough, he said.
?There has to be a broader response to this,? Sampson said. ?That?s why those additional resources are necessary.?
A LITTLE PRACTICE
The team did get to use some of its skills during Hurricane Ike as it helped distribute flu, Hepatitis A and tetanus immunizations to first responders and those who lived in affected areas.
Since the storm, about 1,700 vaccinations have been given, Mapel said.
The team also had a chance to practice another major aspect of their catastrophe response plan ? communication.
After Hurricane Ike, the team worked with media outlets and through the Internet to help residents with issues like testing their well water and medical needs.
In a catastrophic event, the team needs to get information to the public, including safety tips, treatment options and prevention methods, Mapel said. The information would be sent to the media, the county?s Web site, city phone announcement systems and other outlets, she said.
?They need information and they need accurate information,? she said. ?One of our challenges is to be able to communicate with everybody.?
The team now has two trailers loaded with satellite phones, HAM radios, 800 MHz radios and other communication devices to help coordinate response among the medical distribution sites. Those trailers are sitting at the Brazoria County Sheriff?s Office to make sure all the devices work correctly, Stroud said.
The devices would help coordinate with law enforcement and emergency responders, Mapel said.
TRAINING VOLUNTEERS
The team is recruiting volunteers for tasks like feeding workers, distributing medication, unloading trucks and setting up the distribution points.
Those wishing to volunteer can call the preparedness team at (979) 864-1166 and fill out a form. They also can request the form by e-mailingvolunteer(at)brazoria-county.com.
The team is holding a meet-and-greet session for potential volunteers at 5:30 p.m. April 23 at Masterson Park at Highway 35 and Arcola Street next to the health department in Angleton. Those wanting to volunteer can attend the event to learn more, though they should call ahead to let the team know they will be there, Mapel said.
John Tompkins is senior reporter for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 849-8581.
Emergency preparedness team needs volunteers
By John Tompkins
The Facts
Published March 24, 2009
It could be a mutated form of the influenza virus that has Brazoria County residents nauseated, aching and burning up with fever and clogging up local hospitals.
Maybe a terrorist attack has spread anthrax throughout the area, causing people to have chills, night sweats and enlarged lymph nodes.
Or a chemical truck overturns, leaking a toxic substance that fills the air and causes serious problems for thousands of people nearby.
While many residents would look for a way to get out of Brazoria County in a catastrophic event, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness team is looking for several hundred people to stay behind as volunteers at point of distribution sites for medical treatment.
So far, the preparedness team has only about 100, said Jo Mapel, director of the Brazoria County Health Department?s Public Health Emergency Preparedness.
There are countless catastrophic scenarios that would overwhelm local hospitals and require a rapid response to reduce the number of casualties, Mapel said.
It isn?t known how many points of distribution would be open during an event, but there would need to be about 650 volunteers per location, said Barbara Perkins, health preparedness facilitator.
?You need people who are greeters,? Perkins said. ?You need people who are directing parking. You also need people taking care of your volunteers.?
The team also is looking for volunteers who are licensed to give injections, including doctors and veterinarians. The team has only about 30 who have volunteered, Mapel said.
When asked how many it needs, Mapel said, ?We could use as many as we could get.?
THE TEAM
The emergency preparedness team is a handful of people from varying backgrounds. Mapel is a registered nurse and Perkins is a former school principal. The stockpile coordinator David Stroud has a masters in business administration and assistant Tamara Grayson has an accounting background.
Having different perspectives will help ensure the response takes everything into account, including treatment, handling casualties and communication, Mapel said.
?We want to make sure we have a viable plan,? she said.
The team was assembled from Department of Homeland Security grant money in 2004 to prepare a response to a catastrophic event.
While the team quietly toils in its efforts to get ready for a disaster everyone hopes never happens, its work important, said Steve Rosa, assistant emergency management coordinator and a former member of the team.
?It?s like insurance,? he said. ?In a full-blown anthrax attack, you would have to medicate the entire county within 48 hours. That?s their mission.?
GETTING READY
Aside from building an army of volunteers for catastrophic response, the emergency preparedness team also works on setting up the points of distribution. That includes deciding where to set them up and getting supplies from one of 12 Strategic National Stockpiles.
The six scenarios the preparedness team especially focuses on are outbreaks of the Ebola virus, botulism, the plague, anthrax spores, smallpox, tularemia (or rabbit fever) and influenza.
Emergency preparedness teams call those scenarios ?the big six.?
The team also prepares for other events, like a nuclear attack or a chemical spill.
?Anything that overwhelms our emergency response system,? Mapel said.
The most likely scenario that would happen would be some form of influenza that has mutated and transfers from person to person, the team said.
?Pandemic influenza is a scary, scary thing,? Rosa said.
If the county ever is hit with an influenza virus like the avian flu, it is estimated more than 83,000 Brazoria County residents would be ill, 9,000 would need hospitalization and more than 1,700 would die, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A catastrophic event involving a pandemic first would be noticed by the Brazoria County Health Department, which tracks the number of people diagnosed with such diseases, the team said.
Once the catastrophe is noticed, local officials would have to send requests for aid up the chain of command to the governor. After aid is granted, the preparedness team would start using supplies from the stockpiles to help those in need.
The supplies will be delivered from one of the 12 classified stockpile locations to Brazoria County, then distributed through the points of distribution and other sites.
?Some businesses could get bulk medication for employees and their families,? Mapel said.
That would help ease the burden on the volunteers trying to treat area residents, as well as local hospitals, she said.
?We would be a cog in that distribution,? said Jay Sampson, Brazosport Regional Health System assistant vice president of facilities.
The team coordinates with the hospital to build a response because the hospital?s care would not be enough, he said.
?There has to be a broader response to this,? Sampson said. ?That?s why those additional resources are necessary.?
A LITTLE PRACTICE
The team did get to use some of its skills during Hurricane Ike as it helped distribute flu, Hepatitis A and tetanus immunizations to first responders and those who lived in affected areas.
Since the storm, about 1,700 vaccinations have been given, Mapel said.
The team also had a chance to practice another major aspect of their catastrophe response plan ? communication.
After Hurricane Ike, the team worked with media outlets and through the Internet to help residents with issues like testing their well water and medical needs.
In a catastrophic event, the team needs to get information to the public, including safety tips, treatment options and prevention methods, Mapel said. The information would be sent to the media, the county?s Web site, city phone announcement systems and other outlets, she said.
?They need information and they need accurate information,? she said. ?One of our challenges is to be able to communicate with everybody.?
The team now has two trailers loaded with satellite phones, HAM radios, 800 MHz radios and other communication devices to help coordinate response among the medical distribution sites. Those trailers are sitting at the Brazoria County Sheriff?s Office to make sure all the devices work correctly, Stroud said.
The devices would help coordinate with law enforcement and emergency responders, Mapel said.
TRAINING VOLUNTEERS
The team is recruiting volunteers for tasks like feeding workers, distributing medication, unloading trucks and setting up the distribution points.
Those wishing to volunteer can call the preparedness team at (979) 864-1166 and fill out a form. They also can request the form by e-mailingvolunteer(at)brazoria-county.com.
The team is holding a meet-and-greet session for potential volunteers at 5:30 p.m. April 23 at Masterson Park at Highway 35 and Arcola Street next to the health department in Angleton. Those wanting to volunteer can attend the event to learn more, though they should call ahead to let the team know they will be there, Mapel said.
John Tompkins is senior reporter for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 849-8581.