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May 19, 2004
HONOLULU – How would Hawaii best respond to a bioterrorism
attack, widespread infectious disease outbreak or other public health
emergency? That’s what the Hawaii State Department of Health
(DOH), along with State, County and Federal partners, is trying to
improve by conducting a test of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
mass clinic operations plan.
The drill, that took place today at the National Guard Gymnasium near
Diamond Head, was designed to test staffing requirements and the volume
flow model for emergency clinic operations. It also provided valuable
training for DOH staff who would respond during a large-scale public
health event. The scenario simulated events that would take place
following the release of the possible bioterrorism agent Tularemia, a
non-contagious respiratory illness. “This trial run has shown us
which parts of the plan work well and which need improvement,”
said Bart Aronoff, Bioterrorism Preparedness Branch Chief, Hawaii State
Department of Health. “We will be modifying our plan based on
this experience and test it again in August.“
“Patients”, participating in the one-day exercise,
role-played a broad cross-section of Hawaii’s population,
including those with serious health issues, physical limitations and
those needing social service or language assistance. As individuals
moved through the clinic they were asked to supply health information,
including allergies and details on their prescription medications. They
were also given information and educational materials about the disease
and antibiotics before finally receiving a facsimile of the appropriate
drug. “The Federal government has the Strategic National
Stockpile system in place to deliver needed medical supplies to
Hawaii,” said Paul Effler, M.D., State Epidemiologist. “The
purpose of the drill today is to test our part of the supply chain and
learn where we need to focus our efforts to improve the distribution of
medicine and vaccine during a large scale emergency.” The
Strategic National Stockpile Program has caches of antibiotics and
vaccines stored at various locations around the country, ready to
deploy in case of a bioterrorist attack or public health emergency. The
SNS program is committed to have medical supplies delivered anywhere in
the U.S. and its territories within 12 hours of the decision to deploy.
The initial shipment would consists of 120 containers weighing more
than 50 tons, and provides a broad spectrum of assets to be used during
the early hours of an event, even before the agent or disease may be
well defined. In the event of a bio–terrorism incident,
individuals who may have been exposed to a biological agent would
receive antibiotics or vaccination to prevent illness. First responders
and healthcare providers may also be prioritized. This preventative
action is called prophylaxis and is a proven disease outbreak control
strategy. For more information on the Strategic National Stockpile and
disaster preparedness, visit the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention web site at www.bt.cdc.gov .
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For More Information Contact:
Laura Lott
Department of Health
Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 586-4418
Cell: 368-6109
Email: lmlott@mail.health.state.hi.us
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