Public Health Emergency Response and Business Opportunities

1
Public Health Emergency Response and Business
Opportunities

• Patricia A. Nolan
• Director of Health
• Rhode Island

2
Public Health Emergencies

• Infectious disease outbreaks
• Drinking water contamination
• Food supply contamination
• Bioterrorism

• Nuclear power plant releases
• Mass casualties/ Patient care capacity
  overwhelmed
• Chemical or radiation contamination affecting
  humans

3
Public Health Preparedness and Response for
Bioterrorism

• Preparedness Planning and Readiness Assessment
• Surveillance and Epidemiology Capacity
• Laboratory Capacity - Biologics
• Communications and Information Technology (Health
  Alert Network)
• Public Information and Communication
• Education and Training

4
Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness

• Staffing and medical direction
• Hospital preparedness planning committee
• Coordination and collaboration
• System development
• Capital investment
• Legislation and regulation
• Maintaining readiness

5
Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness - HRSA

• Medications and vaccines
• Personal protection, quarantine and
  decontamination
• Communications
• Biological disaster drills
• Personnel in emergency health care facilities
• Training of clinicians
• Patient transfer
• Regional hospital plans to address 500 patients

6
Partnerships with Universities

• Brown University and URI
• BT Coordinator at each university as liaison with
  public health emergency response planning
• Explore research opportunities to improve public
  health emergency and BT response
• Stimulate curriculum development for students and
  for continuing education

7
How Does State Purchasing Operate?
8
SOURCE SELECTION

• Vendors are suppliers or sources for goods and
  services. Vendors can be qualified as Part of Bid
  Solicitation, Letter of Interest, Request for
  Proposal, Request for Qualification or
  Prequalification
• Vendors indicate what goods or services they
  supply by enrolling on the Rhode Island Vendor
  Information Program and registering to sell
  various commodities (select NIGP (National
  Institute for Governmental Purchasing Codes)
• Lists of Suppliers can be obtained from the RIVIP
  or potential vendors recommended by User Agencies
  which have researched the commodity they are
  purchasing

9
Information Available on RIVIP

• Bids/Requests For Proposal Solicitations
• Bid Results
• State Agency Bid/RFP Schedules and Announcements
• State Purchasing Rules and Regulations
• States General Terms and Conditions
• Master Price Agreements
• Vendor Data Base
• NIGP Commodity Code Lists
• Prevailing Wage Rates
• IRS W-9 Forms
• Access to other State Purchasing Sites

10
Some Critical Issues and Projects

• Communications and Information Systems - Planning
  with EMA to assure connectivity and redundancy
• National Pharmaceutical Stockpile - Planning with
  municipalities and health care organizations for
  rapid deployment and distribution
• Expanding public health laboratory capacity for
  detecting biologic and chemical agents including
  potential weapons of mass destruction

11
Questions?
12
Public Health Issues in Bioterrorism Other Mass
Medical Emergencies

• Recognition of illness
• Recognition of multiple cases
• Notification protocols
• Diagnosis - initial and confirmation
• Epidemiological investigation

• Epidemic control
• Mass prophylaxis
• Quarantine
• Secondary transmission
• Mass patient care

13
Major Health Issues in Bioterrorism Other Mass
Medical Emergencies

• Media and public relations
• Local response to event
• Overwhelmed local resources
• Activation of federal resources

• Casualty and fatality management
• Crisis/consequence management
• Long term response and recovery
• Competition for federal resources