The
Suffolk County Department of Health Services on February 27, 2017, directed an
emergency preparedness exercise designed by the New York State Department of
Health (NYSDOH) to test the county’s readiness for a pandemic influenza
outbreak.
In the
event of a flu outbreak, the health department would be responsible for
providing preventive medication to the general public at points of dispensing
(PODs), managing patient surge on hospitals, distributing medical supplies from
state and federal stockpile, and activating the New York State EMS Mobilization
Plan to request assistance from elsewhere in the state in response to surge on
the 911 ambulance response system.
Following
guidance in the county’s Emergency Management Plan and the health department’s
Public Health Emergency Preparedness Plan, the divisions of Public Health and
Emergency Medical Services modeled a response to this pandemic flu scenario in
conjunction with the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency
Services’ Office of Emergency Management, Suffolk County Police Department,
Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, and other key participants that are integral
parts of ongoing countywide emergency preparedness efforts.
“This Emergency Preparedness drill is a critical part of
ensuring our personnel are prepared in case of an influenza outbreak,” said
County Executive Steve Bellone. “Participating in exercises at regular
intervals with community partners keeps the Department of Health Services at the
forefront of emergency response.”
“Exercises such as this test the ability of key units of
state and local government, supported by volunteer and non-governmental
agencies, to come together as a whole community to respond safely, quickly and
efficiently in the event of influenza outbreak,” said Dr. James Tomarken,
Commissioner of Health Services for Suffolk County.
A hot wash was conducted after the exercise to identify
strengths and weakness of the exercise. According to Bob Delagi, Director of
EMS and Public Health Emergency Preparedness, “Suffolk County typically
performs well on such exercises, but there is always something learned,
something we can improve upon, or some new parameter in the exercise, which is
why rehearsal for disaster is so important.”
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