Mock Pandemic Flu Clinic:Mock Pandemic Flu Clinic: Flu Fighters in Action…

Genesee County Health Department (GCHD)

Flint, MichiganOctober 18, 2005

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

Genesee County Health Department• Location: Genesee County, Michigan (with

office/clinic locations in Flint and Burton)

• Population of Genesee County: 439,000*

• Mission: to improve the quality of life in Genesee County by preventing disease, promoting health and protecting the environment through activities consistent with our assessment, policy development and assurance responsibilities.

• Staff size: 170

• Government: governed by a nine-member Board of Commissioners each of whom is elected from a unique district within the County. In addition, the Department reports to a five-member advisory Board of Health. The GCHD is governed by the State’s Public Health Code and other rules, regulations and procedures adopted locally.

*U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 American Community Survey)

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

GCHD Sites

Burton Health Center

McCree North Health Center

Floyd J. McCree Courts & Human Services Center

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

GCHD Team Members and Titles

• Ward Lindsay – Development, Planning &

Grants Supervisor– GCHD PIO

• April Carpenter– Public Health Program

Coordinator

• Carrie Chanter– Health Educator

• Susan Hudson– Public Health Nursing

Supervisor– Epi/EPC

Susan is hard at work coordinating Genesee County’s Emergency Drill and could not travel with the team.

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

Mock Pandemic Flu Clinic Exercise

• PREPARE Domain – Effective management of public

health response via clear command, control and communications abilities.

• Goals for Exercise– Practice setting up emergency clinic.– Practice implementing the Health

Department’s Internal Incident Command Structure.

– Prepare staff for roles they might play during an emergency.

– Identify gaps in command structure and service provision.

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

Mock Pandemic Flu Clinic ExerciseDescription of Exercise

– Took place during semi-annual all staff meeting. (90 minutes)

– Scenario was provided to staff and internal command team was convened.

– Staff were randomly divided into 2 groups (patients and staff).

– Groups alternated between acting as patients and clinic workers. During each cycle, no more than half the staff were available to run the clinic and carry on other necessary tasks.

– “Available” staff were organized by clinic manager to stage a dispensing clinic.

– Type of patient each staff person presented as was determined by “luck of the draw.“

• If chosen card was blank, staff person was given vaccine packet and sent to vaccine waiting area.

• If chosen card had an “X”, staff person was given Tamiflu packet and sent to Tamiflu waiting area.

• If chosen card had an “XS”, staff person was given a Tamiflu packet and epidemiology card and sent to epidemiology waiting area.

PREPARE for PI May 06Genesee County Health Department

OutcomesLessons Learned

• Provide more detailed instructions at each station of the clinic.

• Anticipate demanding patients with special needs.

• Need more staff to direct traffic and flow of clinic.

• Provide traffic flow staff with charts to better direct patients through clinic.

• Better anticipation of space needs when setting up stations.

• Need clear understanding and enforcement of chain of command.

• At any given time key command team members may not be present or available.

Achievements

• Raising staff awareness of roles during emergency.

• Positive feedback from staff regarding their improved understanding of emergency response roles.

• Many staff grasped the reality that all staff and resources may not be present or available for emergency response.

• Were able to work through unexpected problems.