While avian flu news volume and intensity have decreased in recent months, prudent people are using this lull to develop, refine and test pandemic preparedness in their own spheres. On December 11, 2006 the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently conducted a tabletop exercise of their preparedness planning. I was asked to conduct the exercise. The event was sponsored by the Birmingham-based Center for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness and the University’s Pandemic Influenza task Force.
More than most organizations tend to put into such tests; UAB brought the A-team to the table. Their exercise included participants from all sectors and schools of the university as well as the associated regional medical complex that is part of the school, and representatives from local jurisdictions, emergency responders and the Alabama State Health Department. This is essential to get to the essence of what an exercise is about, i.e., learning what is needed to be prepared.
In many cases we forget that the end we seek is not planning. It is preparedness. Preparedness means that those likely to be faced with the crisis are ready and alert to respond. Learning is the point of the exercise. We need to know what we don’t know and where we are not on the same page.
Even if an exercise were to appear to come up with all the “right” answers, the next exercise or real crisis will probably involve a new set of players. The task of being ready is on going and evolving because each day brings us new factors, people and variables. UAB seemed to recognize all this intuitively. I was impressed by their willingness to open up to the session and explore with each other what might happen and the variations of response possible.
This scenario-based test presented participants with a series of alerts. Each alert included information that challenged the attendees to consider “What does this information mean to you? What do you need to do in response to this information?
The realism they brought to the session was never more evident than when the police chief noted that the public would never believe there was no vaccine or antiviral drugs available at the school, though that would probably be the case. This took the thinking to a new level among the group, recognizing then that simple rational behavior should not be expected of the community nor would it be sufficient for preparedness on their part.
The group realized that their planning to date had been more a reaction to media reports. At the end, the group commitment to renewed effort at a deeper level lays a base for better preparedness.
Do you know that doing this type of planning for avian flu actually has benefits that go way beyond preparedness for flu? I will discuss this more in the near future.
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