Concurrent Session Descriptions & Handouts

CONCURRENT SESSION 1

1A A Cooperative Approach to Alternate Care Site Planning: Emphasizing the Role of Laboratory Medicine

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Off-Site Care Facilities (OSCF).ppt

This session will provide an overview of developing regional and state-wide partnerships to establish alternate care sites in response to emergencies and disasters.  Presenters will provide real world examples of laboratory planning activities related to alternate care sites.  Emphasis will be on cooperative partnerships among institutions, including public health agencies, to obtain supplies, establish procedures, increase communication capabilities, and provide training for laboratory personnel and others in the larger context of an austere care setting.

1B Republican National Convention – Local, State and Healthcare Perspectives

The panel will address the unique characteristics of planning for and working during a National Special Security Event; lessons learned by integrating planning activities by local health departments, healthcare systems, emergency medical services, federal partners, and MDH; how public health/healthcare/EMS were viewed by public safety; and other unique insights!

1C Here a Plan, There a Plan, Everywhere a Plan Plan: Creating A Comprehensive All-Hazards Plan

All-Hazards Plan, Multi-Agency Coordination Plan, COOP Plan, Incident Specific Plans, Annexes and Appendices: How do you to make sense of all these types and components of plans and create a cohesive All-Hazards Plan? This session will share resources and templates that were used to develop the various response plans for the Minnesota Department of Health. You’ll learn a common sense approach to connecting all these types of plans into one comprehensive all-hazards plan.

1D How Social Media Tools Can Be Used for Emergency Preparedness and Response

During a response, time is of the essence! Learn how social networking tools such as Twitter, blogs, podcasts, video on the Web, RSS and e-mail can be used during emergency preparedness and response activities.  Mr. Fong will explore how these technologies were used during the 2009 Red River Flood, the 2008 Southern CA fire and the US Food and Drug Administration’s peanut recall.

1E Mass Dispensing: Incident Command System Applied to Mass Dispensing Sites and Local Distribution Nodes

This session will provide an overview of planning for and implementing mass dispensing operations using the National Incident Management System and specifically the Incident Command System (ICS).  The Mass Dispensing Organizational Charts are compliant with NIMS.  NIMS forms the basis for interoperability and compatibility that will enable local public health to integrate an effective response with public and private partners.  The organizational charts distributed in this session are designed to create a common framework but allow for varying differences in jurisdictional implementation.

CONCURRENT SESSION 2

2A Dogs and Cats and Birds, Oh My! Community Planning for Animals in Disasters

2B Joint Commission and Hospital Emergency Management

As of January 1, 2009, Joint Commission has given Emergency Management its own Chapter.  Learn more about the standards to which healthcare organizations are held by this accreditation agency.  Gain insight and listen to examples about how these standards can be met and understand the role healthcare plays in disasters.

2C Responding to the Emotional Crest of the Red River Flood

Like other disasters, flooding can result in emotional distress, as well as property damage. Disasters threaten our sense of control and safety, and can affect many aspects of our physical and emotional health.  This panel presentation will discuss the emotional impact of the Red River Flood on the community, the healthcare system, and the responders, and how local and regional disaster behavioral health services were utilized, including the deployment of Behavioral Health Strike Teams.

2D Pandemic Influenza Update – Panel Discussion

International disease experts predict a significant worldwide outbreak of influenza. This panel will discuss how Minnesota is planning: 1)Pandemic Influenza Plan revisions including application of Intervals, Triggers & Actions; 2) Community Assessment, Referral and Treatment Centers  (Flu Centers); and 3) Ethically Rationing Health Resources in Minnesota in a Severe Influenza Pandemic: the Public Engagement Process

2E Long Term Care Preparedness Planning Update

Long Term Care is a term used to indicate a wide array of facilities, entities and individuals.  This session will look at the last year of planning surrounding emergencies and disaster, development of committees and workgroups, partnerships and collaborations, and end with what really happened when the need arose to evacuate a Long Term Care facility.

CONCURRENT SESSION 3

3A Mass Dispensing – Best Practices

Washington County Public Health & Environment

This session will feature best practices of select local public health agencies related to mass dispensing planning. Practical tools, processes and strategies developed by greater Minnesota and metro planners will be shared. Emphasis will be placed on methods to make planning efficient and effective.

3B Overview of Emergency Preparedness: Past, Present and Future

Learn about the evolution of emergency preparedness, where we are today and where we are going. This presentation will look at the emergency management phases, incident management, response assets and coordination entities, and methods for determining how ready we are.

3C Neither Rain nor Snow, nor Computer Virus nor National Convention: Business Continuity Management and Planning

Is your organization ready to continue to provide critical services no matter the obstacle or challenge?  Learn important concepts and walk away with tools you can use to improve your business continuity plan.  Business continuity management and planning at the Minnesota Department of Health, State of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be discussed to connect your planning to state and federal plans and standards.

3D Four Exercise Scenarios: Anthrax, Ice Storms, Explosive, Pandemic Influenza

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This session will introduce participants to the recently completed 4-Scenario’s workbook produced by the Minnesota Department of Health.  These workbooks were developed by a multi-disciplinary group with the purpose of giving the users a suggested training & exercise program schedule, and four scenario based workbooks containing HSEEP – compliant exercises.  The workbooks contain Table Top (TTX), Functional (FE), and Full Scale (FSE) exercises that can be customized to meet the specific needs of each user’s jurisdiction.   The multi-disciplinary group selected four scenarios for this exercise program; an ice storm, a pandemic influenza outbreak, an explosive incident, and an anthrax release.  Following this session, participants should be able to take the Instruction Manual and corresponding 4-Scenarios and implement the program and/or exercises at a local or regional level.

3E Patient Care Strategies for Scarce Resource Situations: An Update

This session will provide an update on the work of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Science Advisory Team, a working group of clinicians that has developed a toolkit of clinical guidelines for the use of oxygen, medication administration, hemodynamic support and intravenous fluids, mechanical ventilation, nutrition and staffing during scarce resource situations. The presenter will also discuss the state’s role in developing and implementing altered standards of care.

CONCURRENT SESSION 4

4B How Mutual Aid from Local Governments Can Augment Public Health Disaster Response OR Good Reasons to Get to Know Your Emergency Manager

Explanation of Minnesota Statute § 12
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4B-3.pdf

Mutual aid is the sharing of personnel, equipment, and supplies across political boundaries. It occurs in varying degrees across the international border with Canada, across tribal reservation boundaries, across state and county lines, and across city limits. Its origins, at least in this part of the country, lie in local fire departments’ mutual assistance and in coordinated response to large wildfires in the northern forests. In the Gulf States, devastating hurricanes lead first to governors’ agreements for mutual aid and those expanded into the 50-state Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

For mutual aid to be the most help in a disaster, advance planning is needed on both the logistical and legal fronts. This session will feature a county perspective on the successes and shortcomings of mutual aid in a recent disaster and a state perspective on the laws and agreements that can enable mutual aid to work more smoothly. Model agreements on mutual aid and other resources available to assist local planning will also be covered.

4C A Pragmatic Approach to Radiological Incidents

Forget for the moment about Rads, Rems, Curies, Counts Per Minute and Disintegrations.  The recipe for a sustainable response program really consists of only seven ingredients.  This presentation discusses the basics for developing and implementing a radiological response program.  It includes some of the lessons learned during the past 25 years in federal and state government.

4D Hospital Response Teams and Minnesota Responds Medical Reserve Corps: Support for Medical Sheltering of Evacuees During a Flood

When there is evacuation of skilled nursing patients, or even vulnerable adults from assisted living, the sheltering can easily require a medical or special needs component. The panel speakers will discuss how the Central Region Hospital Response team answered a request to provide medical sheltering, with augmented healthcare volunteers from the Central Region Medical Reserve Corps, and volunteers from other MRC programs.  A great success story with many lessons learned.

4E Laboratory Functional Exercise: Lessons Learned

As part of the Minnesota Healthcare System Preparedness Program, the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory’s Emergency preparedness and Response Unit (EPR) conducted a 3-state chemical exposure exercise lasting approximately six weeks from early January through late February, 2009.  The exercise highlighted several strengths in the Minnesota Laboratory System (MLS) and also revealed some areas for improvement in laboratory preparedness.  The exercise provided input for the formulation of future MLS projects related to chemical threats.