HC trains as point of distribution for region in case of disaster

Henry County is planning for a closed point of distribution drill with the Iowa Department of Public Health to prepare a strategy for the region, county and city in case of a pandemic.

The closed point of distribution (POD) drill will be an exercise with Public Health, Henry County Health Center, the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility and eight area nursing homes. As a part of the drill, the state will deliver 'medication” to Henry County, which will act as the point of distribution for the region. Each county will pick up their own medication from Henry County and take it back to their own counties for distribution.

The drill is scheduled for late April or early May. The exact date has yet to be determined by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Representatives from emergency management departments, public healths, fire departments, care facilities and hospitals from Henry, Des Moines, Louisa, Van Buren, Lee, Jefferson and Wapello counties discussed how they will carry out the closed POD drill. They gathered at Henry County Emergency Management in Mt. Pleasant on Friday, Feb. 22.

Participants walked out of the table top exercise with more questions than answers to take home to their county and talk through to create a cohesive emergency response plan in the event of a pandemic.

Henry County plans to receive the medication at the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility. Other counties will send representatives to retrieve their share of medication from the correctional facility to bring back to their points of distribution.

Tony White, a security officer with the Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility, said they are a 'natural” location for the state to deliver vaccines to the region. 'We're part of the community too, and we want to be of service,” said Nathan Faler, shift supervisor at the correctional facility.

Alternative locations were discussed if the correctional facility were unavailable.

In Henry County, Public Health will notify closed PODs, which include the hospital, the prison and care facilities and nursing homes. Van Dorin said those departments need to plan to pick up their share of vaccines from the correctional facility because Public Health employees can't deliver them themselves.

This plan could look different from other counties, who come up with their own strategy for distributing medication.

Counties also will have to come up with contingency plans. For example, a vaccine may have to be refrigerated or need to be escorted by law enforcement. Drew Barden, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, said if the state escorted the vaccines to the region, counties may want to follow suit.

'We're going to tell you our plan and how we're getting it to you,” Barden said. 'Plan for everything. Collaborate with law enforcement and ask them how they will support you.”

A state representative will stay with every shipment of medicine until every county has signed off on their share, Barden said.

The state representative will be provided the name or names of individuals who will pick up the vaccine on the day of and check identifications.

'I'm not going to release it if I'm not completely comfortable with who shows up,” Barden said.

The vaccine could be shipped to each county, delivered in a truck or even flown in by a helicopter depending on the emergency situation, Barden said.

'We get it to you, and you get it to the public,” he said.

Jacob Dodds, EMS operations coordinator with HCHC, said the POD drill tests the hospital's and county's ability to do a mass vaccination.

'If we had an outbreak, it would likely be identified at the hospital,” Dodds said. 'We would be at the very beginning of mobilizing resources. As it spreads throughout the community, we would quarantine and vaccinate these people on site.”

Dodds said this is the first time he has participated in this kind of POD drill.

'I don't know what to expect. We'll see what happens,” he said.

Christine Estle, with Jefferson County Public Health, recalled the state sending vaccines during the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009. The vaccine wasn't available to everyone, and Estle said she had to stand her ground and not break the rules of distribution. She even had to go as far as calling the police on unruly residents who were angry they didn't meet the criteria to be administered the vaccine.

'The county takes direction from the state who takes direction from the federal government, so you're never left alone,” Estle assured other participants.

Leah McElhinney, with Louisa County Public Health, said if there is a disaster, the entire region is going to have to work together to make sure everyone is safe.

'We're taking what we've learned here and taking it back to our own communities,” McElhinney said at the table top exercise.

Lindsay Remick, with Sunrise Terrace Care Center in Winfield, said the drill will ensure they can take care of their residents and staff if there were an outbreak of any kind.

Remick, who used to work in public health, said it's 'neat” to see that Henry County is proactive in creating an emergency response plan.

'It takes a lot of hands on deck, resources and other willing parties to put on something like this,” Remick said.