Tools and Resources to Engage Community Partners in Emergency Preparedness APC Roadshow Orlando,...

Tools and Resources to Engage Community

Partners in Emergency Preparedness

APC RoadshowOrlando, FloridaJuly 27-28, 2009

Goal

• At the end of this APC session participants will be able to engage community partners in preparing for a pandemic influenza using the tools and resources described.

Presentation Objectives• Describe three tools that will assist you

in working with your community in pandemic flu preparedness

• Discuss how the pandemic flu tools and resources presented in this session can be used by public health agencies and other organizations

• Identify two strategies to engage

community partners

Engaging Community Partners in Preparedness

Washington Post

Who are Our Community Partners?

• Faith Communities• Businesses• Home Health Care• Pharmacists• Child Care• Universities

• School Systems• Physicians• Nurses • Schools of Public

Health• Hospitals• Many others..

Why Should Local Public Health Departments Engage Community Partners

in Preparing for a Pandemic Flu?

• Hospitals will be overwhelmed• Public Health staff will be detailed to other

duties• 40% of the workforce may be absent

and/or sick• Need to reduce morbidity and mortality• Limit economic disruption

Why Engage Community Partners?

Washington Post, 1-12-07

Three Tools/Resources

• Stop the Spread! A Toolkit for Preventing the Spread of Germs in Clinics and Office Settings

• Pan Flu & Us: Linking Home Care and Public Health: A Toolkit for Developing a Pandemic Flu Preparedness Workshop

• Stay at Home Toolkit

Stop the Spread! A Toolkit for Preventing the Spread of Germs in Clinics and Office Settings

• Why Don’t We Do it in Our Sleeves-video

Stop the Spread! A Toolkit for Preventing the Spread of Germs in Clinics and Office Settings-THE NEED

1. Approximately 50% (45 million) of those who become infected with the pandemic flu, would seek medical care.

2. The medical community must be able to provide care for those who become infected with pandemic influenza while still maintaining other essential medical services.

3. The medical community are significant contributors to the economy as employers, purchasers of goods and services, and generators of income to health care organizations.

• In Maryland the total economic impact of family physicians per year is $914,668,659

How is Montgomery County, Maryland Public Health Services Partnering with the Medical Community?

• Surveillance• Outbreak Investigations• March 20, 2007: Practice Preparedness for

Pan Flu Conference (Primary Care Medical Community)

• Montgomery County, APC: Stop the Spread! A Toolkit for Preventing the Spread of Germs in Clinics and Office Settings

Stop the Spread!-Development

• Inspired by the medical office conference in March 2007

• Need to engage physician offices and clinics in preparing for pandemic flu

• Collaboration with the State of Maryland

• Usability and Content Experts • Dissemination Plan• Benefits/Challenges

Stop the Spread! -Materials

•Contents Include:•Audio-Video Presentation

•Information for Clinic Staff and Patient Information

•Materials (PDF)

•Original Files Available upon request

PREVENTING PREVENTING TRANSMISSION TRANSMISSION

OF RESPIRATORY OF RESPIRATORY INFECTIOUS DISEASESINFECTIOUS DISEASES IN CLINICS AND OFFICE SETTINGSIN CLINICS AND OFFICE SETTINGS

BRENDA J. ROUP, PhD, RN, CICBRENDA J. ROUP, PhD, RN, CICNURSE CONSULTANT IN INFECTION CONTROLNURSE CONSULTANT IN INFECTION CONTROL

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENEAND MENTAL HYGIENE

Office and Clinic Information

Infection Control Educational Signage

Patient Materials

Stop the Spread!-Evaluation

• Worked with medical offices and clinics

• Content experts in infection control• Other local health departments

continue to provide valuable feedback

Pan Flu & Us: Linking Home Care and Public Health: A Toolkit for Developing a Pandemic Flu Preparedness Workshop

Pan Flu & Us: THE NEED

• Home care agencies appear to be a common thread for many vulnerable populations

• Encourage personal preparedness for staff as well as people they serve

Pan Flu & Us-Development

• March 2008 Conference in Montgomery County, MD

• Partnership with local home care agencies

• A product for LHDs to engage the Home Care Community

• Simple guidance

Pan Flu & Us-Materials• Toolkit available for

LHDs or others to host a similar conference in their locality

• Materials online only-in PDF, MS Word, and MS Publisher

• First step in relationship with home care

Plan Flu & Us-Evaluation• Appropriate method to reach the target

population• 90% of participants felt confident they

could explain flu preparedness to their clients

• Introduced public health to home care• Many home care agencies had not

considered pan flu and how it would impact their services

• Many home care agencies have competing demand for their time

• High level of staff turnover in home care

Stay at Home Toolkit

Stay at Home Toolkit-Need

• Encourage people to stay home when they are sick-shelter in place

• Isolation/Quarantine• How to care for themselves, family,

friends, neighbors• Prevent “worried well” from

presenting at hospitals

Stay at Home Toolkit-Development

• Local Health Officer directive• Developed with focus groups

(seniors, churches, nurses)• Use for seasonal influenza as well as

pandemic influenza• Deliver with isolation/quarantine

orders

Stay At Home Toolkit

• Basic 101 on all different aspects of influenza including prevention and care giving

• Available at: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pandemicflu

• Adapted by many localities

Stay at Home Toolkit-Evaluation

• Continue to receive feedback from local health departments and residents

• Low literacy version being developed with key messages and less text-available in Fall 2009

COOP Tip Sheet

• Guides local health departments through the second phase of COOP planning, the process of identifying critical functions and services.

• Montgomery County APC provides a case study of the process through the eyes of the county’s Communicable Disease & Epidemiology Program.

Other APC Tools and Resources to Engage Community Partners

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness.aspx

Tarrant County, TX APC-Preparing Your Business for Emergencies, Natural &

Man-Made Disasters

Twin Cities Metro, MN APC

Training for EHP

Food Readiness

EH Planning

Contact Brian Golob at: Brian.Golob@co.hennepin.mn.us or go to NACCHO APC toolbox at www.naccho.org/apc

On the Horizon

Montgomery APC Tools/Resources to Engage Community Partners

• COOP training for child care providers—based upon a pandemic flu used to help LHDs engage child care partners

• Pharmacy toolkit—for local health departments to engage pharmacists

Group Activity

• Goals:– For group members to share with each other

how they are preparing their communities for pandemic influenza (or H1N1)

– For group members to explore with Montgomery County, APC their thoughts on additional tools and resources needed for preparation, response and recovery from pandemic influenza (or H1N1)

Group Activity Guide

• Each group will answer each question• Choose one spokesperson for your group• Choose a recorder for your group, to

record your answers• Report answers back to the larger group

Group Activity1. How have you engaged community partners in

preparing for pandemic influenza (or H1N1)? 2. What are some of the barriers/challenges you are

encountering in preparing your community for pandemic influenza (or H1N1)?

3. What tools and resources would be helpful for you in preparing for pandemic influenza (or H1N1)?

4. What other tools and resources are you aware of that have helped you prepare for pandemic influenza (or H1N1)?

5. What types of formats are best for your locality (CD-ROM, hard copies, website, DVD, etc.)?

Public Health Video

• http://www.generationpublichealth.org/

Contact Information

Rachel Abbeyand

Betsy RebertMontgomeryapc@montgomerycountymd.gov

All tools and resources mentioned in this presentation can be found at:

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apcOr NACCHO Toolbox at:

www.naccho.org/toolbox