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Source: http://www.dailyitem.com/0113_health...083082334.html
Published March 24, 2009 08:23 am - The North Central Pennsylvania counties of Union, Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan and Tioga, collectively the ?North Central Task Force,? will perform a significant test of their public health and disease prevention capabilities this spring, as nearly 2,000 individuals are expected to participate in the ?North Pharm? exercise.
Emergency drill to be held this spring
LEWISBURG ? The North Central Pennsylvania counties of Union, Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan and Tioga, collectively the ?North Central Task Force,? will perform a significant test of their public health and disease prevention capabilities this spring, as nearly 2,000 individuals are expected to participate in the ?North Pharm? exercise.
The exercise is designed to test the entire region?s ability to provide lifesaving pharmaceuticals in the event of a health crisis in a rapid timeframe.
Critical to the exercise and the plan for a real-world public health emergency are ?Points of Dispensing? or POD sites, designed for pharmaceutical distribution to the public.
?POD sites are manned by volunteers from the community,? according to Dr. Kathryn Gruber, superintendent of the Sullivan County School District and POD manager for Sullivan County?s one POD, located at the Sullivan County High School. ?In our case, the school staff has taken a step forward and attended POD training. They can subsequently fill the roles of the 50-100 individuals necessary to operate the POD for a shift, assisting with the dispensing of medication to the community.?
POD volunteers are listed with County Emergency Management Agencies, and receive medication for themselves and their families prior to opening of the PODs. ?This has really increased participation of school staff,? according to James Steiner, the Potter County Emergency manager.
Subsequent to registering, volunteers receive online briefings. ?They are contacted routinely to ensure contact information is correct,? according to Eugene LaFavor, program manager for the North Central Task Force, which operates the POD Program for the seven county region.
Stephanie Jackson, a certified school nurse in Lewisburg Area School District, volunteered to assist with medication dispensing and has previously participated in POD public health exercises.
?We are all trying to use our own skills to help during extraordinary emergencies,? she said. Those with special language skills, behavioral health training and security or logistic capabilities have been included.
POD volunteers receive no pay, and will probably work 12-hour shifts until the mission of area wide pharmaceutical distribution is complete. It is anticipated that this will take several days. In the case of a pandemic, pharmaceutical distribution may be repeated as several ?waves? occur.
Individuals interested in volunteering for POD activities can receive additional information from their County Emergency Management Agency and can attend online briefing at www.cocciardi.com, click on SNS-POD North Central On-Line Training located in the upper left side of the homepage. Union County residents can contact the Union County EMA at 523-3201.
PODs require many types of volunteers, both medical and support in nature.
?The 20 minutes the briefing takes may save both time and lives during a public health emergency,? according to Denny Colegrove, the Tioga County Emergency Management Coordinator, ?with the demand for citizen volunteers so great and the time to train so limited, individuals interested should visit the site now and register as a POD volunteer or they can contact their County Emergency Management Agency. An informed public is the best defense against disease, however, an informed public who volunteers to assist their community during a public health crisis will certainly speed community recovery if a health crisis strikes our area.?
Contact information for County Emergency Management Agencies can be found at www.pema.state.pa.us, by selecting County EMA Coordinators in the left column.
Published March 24, 2009 08:23 am - The North Central Pennsylvania counties of Union, Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan and Tioga, collectively the ?North Central Task Force,? will perform a significant test of their public health and disease prevention capabilities this spring, as nearly 2,000 individuals are expected to participate in the ?North Pharm? exercise.
Emergency drill to be held this spring
LEWISBURG ? The North Central Pennsylvania counties of Union, Bradford, Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, Sullivan and Tioga, collectively the ?North Central Task Force,? will perform a significant test of their public health and disease prevention capabilities this spring, as nearly 2,000 individuals are expected to participate in the ?North Pharm? exercise.
The exercise is designed to test the entire region?s ability to provide lifesaving pharmaceuticals in the event of a health crisis in a rapid timeframe.
Critical to the exercise and the plan for a real-world public health emergency are ?Points of Dispensing? or POD sites, designed for pharmaceutical distribution to the public.
?POD sites are manned by volunteers from the community,? according to Dr. Kathryn Gruber, superintendent of the Sullivan County School District and POD manager for Sullivan County?s one POD, located at the Sullivan County High School. ?In our case, the school staff has taken a step forward and attended POD training. They can subsequently fill the roles of the 50-100 individuals necessary to operate the POD for a shift, assisting with the dispensing of medication to the community.?
POD volunteers are listed with County Emergency Management Agencies, and receive medication for themselves and their families prior to opening of the PODs. ?This has really increased participation of school staff,? according to James Steiner, the Potter County Emergency manager.
Subsequent to registering, volunteers receive online briefings. ?They are contacted routinely to ensure contact information is correct,? according to Eugene LaFavor, program manager for the North Central Task Force, which operates the POD Program for the seven county region.
Stephanie Jackson, a certified school nurse in Lewisburg Area School District, volunteered to assist with medication dispensing and has previously participated in POD public health exercises.
?We are all trying to use our own skills to help during extraordinary emergencies,? she said. Those with special language skills, behavioral health training and security or logistic capabilities have been included.
POD volunteers receive no pay, and will probably work 12-hour shifts until the mission of area wide pharmaceutical distribution is complete. It is anticipated that this will take several days. In the case of a pandemic, pharmaceutical distribution may be repeated as several ?waves? occur.
Individuals interested in volunteering for POD activities can receive additional information from their County Emergency Management Agency and can attend online briefing at www.cocciardi.com, click on SNS-POD North Central On-Line Training located in the upper left side of the homepage. Union County residents can contact the Union County EMA at 523-3201.
PODs require many types of volunteers, both medical and support in nature.
?The 20 minutes the briefing takes may save both time and lives during a public health emergency,? according to Denny Colegrove, the Tioga County Emergency Management Coordinator, ?with the demand for citizen volunteers so great and the time to train so limited, individuals interested should visit the site now and register as a POD volunteer or they can contact their County Emergency Management Agency. An informed public is the best defense against disease, however, an informed public who volunteers to assist their community during a public health crisis will certainly speed community recovery if a health crisis strikes our area.?
Contact information for County Emergency Management Agencies can be found at www.pema.state.pa.us, by selecting County EMA Coordinators in the left column.