Garrett County Health Department EMERGENCY OPERATIONS A RURAL PERSPECTIVE

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Garrett County Health DepartmentEMERGENCY
OPERATIONS A RURAL PERSPECTIVE

• Rodney B. Glotfelty R.S. M.P.H.
• Health Officer

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Common Urban Response Expectations

• Explosions
• Dirty Bombs
• Aerosolized Biologics
• Mass Casualties
• Intention Infection with biologics
• Natural Disasters

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All Hazard Response History for Garrett County
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2001 Flood
Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Ice Storm of October 2003
Courtesy of Robert Glotfelty
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Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Snowstorm of February 2003
Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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May/June 1998 Tornados
Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Courtesy of The Republican Newspaper
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Fog Traffic Pileup Memorial Day Weekend 2003
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Hantavirus Response - 1999
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Garrett County H.D. Emergency Response Concerns

• Possibility of biologic emergencies natural or
  intentional
• Public Health Responsibility for Incident Command
• Slow development of emergency and long response
  duration
• Lack of staff capacity to handle all incident
  command and response activities

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Garrett County Health DepartmentsAll Hazards
Approach

• Assessment, Planning Preparedness,
• Surveillance Epidemiology
• Health Alert Network (HAN)
• Risk Communications Health Information
• Education Training
• Laboratory

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Assessment

• Resource Analysis
• Burn Care
• Beds-No. of hospital beds
• Decontamination equipment
• EMS
• Mortuary
• Emergency shelters
• Emergency sanitation
• Sewage disposal, water supply distribution

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Assessment (cont.)

• Resource Analysis (cont)
• Emergency Veterinary
• Epi/Surveillance
• Health Sector Communications
• Health Sector Emergency Operations Center
• Infectious Disease Management
• ICU Capacity (28 beds three hospitals)
• Isolation Quarantine
• Laboratories
• MD National Guard
• Medical Facilities (MD, PA WV)
• (Hospitals, nursing homes, HDs)

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Assessment (cont.)

• Resource Analysis (cont)
• Mental Health
• Personnel
• Pharmacies
• Strategic National Stockpile
• Vaccine Storage/Dissemination

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Assessment (cont.)

• Gaps
• Burn Care
• Beds
• Decontamination Equipment addressed
• EMS personnel
• Emergency Mortuary addressed
• Shelters addressed
• Emergency Sanitation
• Epi/Surveillance
• Communications addressed

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Assessment (cont.)

• Gaps
• Health Sector EOC
• Backup power new generator addressed
• Infectious disease management
• Regional epic person-DHMH Allegany addressed
• Syndromes Surveillance System
• Limited stat lab capability
• Negative pressure rooms- Isolation
• Installed negative air flow room at HD addressed
• Refined SNS Plan

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Assessment (cont.)

• Overall Needs
• Increased trauma care capabilities
• Rapid response for HAZMAT response
• Epidemiologically trained staff
• Etiology, control measures, follow-up
  surveillance
• Mutual aid agreements with surrounding
  jurisdictions and higher levels of government
• Health care resources to confront disasters

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Planning

• Creation of an alternative EOC at Health
  Department Installation of back-up power
  generator as well as sufficient phone and data
  lines into conference room.
• Quarterly meetings with Local and Regional
  Partners
• Updating of public health annex of G.C. Emergency
  Response Plan
• Posting of plan on intranet and internet
  requires log-in id and password.
• Participation in State, local, and regional
  drills
• Coordinate training for local health provider
  volunteers and assure proper State credentials
  are issued
• Coordinate with AHEC to develop and train an even
  larger pool of community volunteers

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Preparedness
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• Volunteers-State
• Maryland Board of Nursing Disaster Nurse Training
• Maryland Board of Pharmacy
• Two local pharmacists participate
• Maryland BPQA Volunteer Physicians
• Volunteers-Local
• Created database for volunteers
• Complete form and submit (Intranet)
• Medical Reserve Corps- Allegany County

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• Strategic National Stockpile
• 12 Hour Push Package
• Comprised of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical
  supplies medical equipment
• Locations around the country
• Shipped to areas within 12 hours by air or
  ground
• 7 tractor trailers or a 757 airplane
• TARU Team
• VMI-Vendor Managed Inventory
• Comprised of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical
  supplies medical equipment
• Used in small scale incidents

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Strategic National Stockpile12 HR. PUSH PACKAGE
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Keys to Success

• Assessment
• Planning
• Preparation
• Surveillance
• Identification
• Intervention
• Remediation
• Review

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HOW IT WORKEDDistrict Court White Powder Response

• Health Department Notified early in incident
• Notification of DHMH Emergency Staff allowed for
  early recognition that this was second incident
  that day.
• Recognition by Local and State law enforcement
  personnel of our role when we arrived on scene.
• Excellent Coordination with Allegany Co. Hazmat
  Team for sample collection.
• Excellent Coordination with Lab Admin. to get
  timely test results