News from the Districts - Penquis

The Bangor International Airport conducted its tri-annual airport disaster drill on May 16. The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports across the country to conduct full-scale disaster exercises once every three years. The exercise is usually designed around a mass causality scenario. The Northeastern Maine Regional Healthcare Coalition, 26 health care and behavioral health partners, participated in the drill as well as Maine CDC’s District Public Health Liaisons and the director of Disaster Behavioral Health. Maine CDC staff was assigned in different roles including as observers, evaluators, and debriefing throughout the exercise.

One of the elements of the exercise involved moving behavioral health patients from emergency departments to behavioral health care facilities. This involved new health care partners in the behavioral health care sector that have not participated in a drill of this scale in the past. The long term care and home health partners tested new plans to assist with decompressing hospitals during time of medical surge.

The participants in the exercise then attended a ‘Hot Wash’ that illustrated strengths and weaknesses that were observed by the evaluators. There were many lessons learned and captured to assist in future development of disaster plans.

News from the Districts - York

Public Health Emergency Preparedness has been a focus of the York District Coordinating Council, District Liaison and other interested parties for some time. Over the course of the last few years, events designed to recruit Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) members and tabletop exercises to showcase, educate and enhance overall preparedness have been led by this group.

Beginning in late 2015, stakeholders from across York Public Health District have been planning a full- scale public health emergency preparedness exercise. The culmination of this planning will be a Point of Dispensing exercise, also known as a POD. The term POD refers to an organized method to distribute medicine to the public during an emergency. This exercise will take place on October 19 at the University of New England’s Harold Alfond Forum.

This event will feature two POD distribution models. One will be administering “live” flu vaccine; the other will be handing out the mock bottles of ciprofloxacin or doxycycline needed to provide “post-exposure” medication based on the circumstances of the individuals presenting for triage. This multifaceted event has an overall objective of exercising and evaluating the University of New England as a new POD location as well as determining the capacity to deliver public health services on a challenging scale.

This collaboration has yielded additional benefit for Maine CDC, district stakeholders and the University of New England.  For example, the University of New England has incorporated aspects of planning and staffing the event into their established curriculum for public health and medical students. This opportunity provides tangible, real-world experience for students to participate and understand an emergency response within the Maine Public Health structure.

PHEP supports State Police search

In its role of managing various vaccines and antidotes in the event of a public health emergency, Maine CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program identified the need to keep drivers of these types of supplies safe and secure. Delorme InReach was ultimately chosen to meet this goal, as it allows for real-time GPS tracking. The technology also features text-based communication from the device to a web-interface that can be monitored at a central location. Recently, this technology was used by the Maine State Police in their manhunt for suspect Robert Burton in Piscataquis County, which ended after 68 days on August 11.  The State Police appreciated the use of these units: “What the units have enabled us to do is to track personnel in real time as we deploy tactical assets in the field.  By equipping each team with a device, we are able to visually demonstrate to the planners and managers of the incident where each team is tracking.  Not only is that demonstration valuable for progress display, it also allows for the ongoing consideration of reactionary forces should the team encounter a threat. “The devices have also afforded us a communication alternative in an environment where radio communication is poor.  By utilizing the satellite capabilities to communicate, we are more assured that we are able to relay relevant information to the field as well receive urgent data from any team.” This real-life application of the technology also served as on-the-job training for the State Police who were active in this search. They are now ready to assist in any public health emergency without additional training.