Pandemic Preparedness

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Pandemic Preparedness
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Seasonal Influenza VS Pandemic Influenza

• Before we begin, we should identify the
  differences between seasonal influenza and a
  pandemic influenza and why we are concerned.

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What is seasonal influenza?

• Seasonal influenza
• Is a serious illness occurring annually
• More than 225, 000 hospitalizations per year in
  U.S
• 36,000 deaths/year in the US
• Most deaths in persons 65 years old and older
• 6th leading cause of death in adults
• Kills nearly as many or more Americans as
• AIDS (14,000)
• Breast Cancer (40,000)
• Is a big deal

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What is Pandemic Influenza?

• Novel strain of virus
• Little to no immunity in the general public
• Virus infects all age groups
• The novel virus can spread easily person-person
• Spreads throughout multiple countries and
  continents
• More than one wave of influenza is likely
• Waves typically last 6-8 weeks

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Implications of a Pandemic

• Essential Services could be disrupted
• Health care Facilities overwhelmed
• Banks, stores, restaurants, government, post
  offices, transportation/delivery of food and fuel
• Social distancing implemented
• Schools may be closed
• Large gatherings/meetings canceled
• Mass transit services curtailed

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Impacts on Employers

• Absenteeism could impact up to 40 of the
  workforce during the peak of the pandemic
• Sick with flu
• Caring for ill family member
• Children at home if schools/daycares close
• Afraid to come to work
• Increase in demand for certain services
• Essential supply chain disruptions

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Avian vs Swine vs Novel H1N1

• Whats the difference between these?

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Avian or Bird Flu

• Also known as Highly Pathogenic (HP) H5N1
• Virus that affects birds
• Not easily transmitted from human to human
• Predominately occurring in SE Asian countries
• Could change and become a human pandemic
• Properly cooked/prepared poultry is not a risk

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Swine Flu

• Respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A
  influenza viruses
• People do not normally get swine flu, but human
  infections can and do happen
• Swine flu viruses have been
• reported to spread from
• person-to-person, but in the past,
• this transmission was limited
• You cant get Swine Flu from
• eating pork

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Novel H1N1 Influenza

• New influenza virus that is
• spreading from person-to
• person.
• Is a combination of several
• different strains swine flu,
• bird flu and one strain of
• human flu.
• Declaration of Public
• Health Emergency in the
• United States
• World Health Organization
• has raised Pandemic level to
• Phase 6

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Signs and symptoms

• Symptoms of Novel H1N1 flu in people are similar
  to those associated with seasonal flu.
• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue
• In addition, vomiting (25) and diarrhea (25)
  have been reported. (Higher rate than for
  seasonal flu.)

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How does Novel H1N1 Influenza spread?

• This virus is thought to spread the same way
  seasonal flu spreads
• Primarily through respiratory droplets
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Touching respiratory droplets on yourself,
  another person, or an object, then touching mucus
  membranes (e.g., mouth, nose, eyes) without
  washing hands

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How can you create a healthier work environment?

• If people are ill, they stay home.
• If people become ill at work, ask them to leave
  the workplace.
• Encourage everyone to cover their cough and wash
  hands often.
• Encourage everyone to wipe down work stations
  often with sanitizing wipes.
• Alcohol-based hand wipes or
• gel sanitizers are also effective.

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If employees get sick

• Current recommendation is for people to remain at
  home until at least 24 hours after they are free
  of fever (100 F),or signs of a fever without the
  use of fever-reducing medications.
• Remind them to limit their contact with other
  people as much as possible.

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Employees will be needed at work

• State government will continue to have people to
  support and services that must be delivered.
• People will still have their disabilities,
  illnesses, or support needs, even if they
  contract the flu.
• People will continue to request our services, may
  even be an increase in requests for certain
  services from our customers.
• Citizens will look to all of us during an
  emergency

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What has State Government Done to Prepare?
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PRIORITY SERVICE ONE 1 Immediate threat to
public health, safety or welfare These
functions must remain uninterrupted. Generally,
these would include functions that operate 24
hours a day and/or 7 days a week. (Priority
Service One functions do not cease on holidays or
weekends) PRIORITY SERVICE TWO 2 Direct
economic impact, or have constitutionally or
statutorily mandated time frames for completion
These functions may be disrupted temporarily or
might be periodic in nature, but must be
re-established within a few days. PRIORITY
SERVICE THREE 3 Regulatory functions required
by law, rule or order that have the ability to be
suspended during an emergency These functions
may be disrupted temporarily (a few days or
weeks) but must be re-established sometime before
the pandemic wave is over (lt6 weeks).
PRIORITY SERVICE FOUR 4 All other services
that could be suspended during an emergency that
are not required by law or rule These functions
may be deferred for the duration of a pandemic
wave (6-8 weeks).
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General Human Resource Expectations

• Policy To continue providing critical services
  to the citizens of Minnesota to the extent
  possible.
• Employees will be expected to report to work as
  assigned.
• Managers will be expected to take the
  necessary steps to
  accomplish the agencys priority services.

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Labor Relations Emergency Administration

• Policy Per Minnesota State Statute, 12.21,
  Subdivision 3, Certain collective bargaining
  agreement and plan provisions may be suspended in
  order to manage the states critical services
• Collective bargaining agreements and plans will
  be honored to the extent possible.
• Changes will be considered in relation to state
  statute.
• (not at the risk of failing to provide critical
  services
• to the citizens of the state of Minnesota)

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Leaves

• Policy Certain discretionary leaves may not be
  granted to employees except as required by law or
  in accordance to the collective bargaining
  agreements.
• Rescission of leaves
• Sick leave use
• FMLA
• If work is not available

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Assignments, Schedules and Position Filling

• Policy Appropriate measures will be taken to
  adequately staff the states critical services
• State employees may be deployed to alternative
  worksites or another state agency.
• Employees deployed to perform critical services
  will be expected to report to work.
• Social Distancing measures will be in place.

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Compensation and Payroll

• Policy The state will continue to pay employees
  who work as assigned or on approved paid leave
• Compensation provisions not expect to change.
• May be delays or priorities identified relating
  to processing the types of payments.

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Insurance Benefits

• Policy Insurance benefits expected to be
  maintained during pandemic period.
• Insurance eligible employees will continue to
  receive health insurance coverage and will
  continue to receive the employer contribution
  during this time.
• Employees expected to continue to pay the
  employee contribution.
• Agencies will be required to continue to make the
  employer contribution for health insurance
  coverage.
• Insurance laws still apply including COBRA, HIPAA
  and other relevant provisions of employer benefit
  programs

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Health and Safety

• Policy State agencies will implement
  occupational health and safety recommendations.
• Consistent statewide application of
  recommendations important.
• Safe workplace critical to ensure worker
  confidence.

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Performance Management

• Policy Employees are expected to report to work
  and perform duties, unless directed otherwise.
• Recommendations from the Department of Health
  will be provided as necessary.

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What did we learn from this Spring?

• Communication can be difficult with a fluid
  situation
• Plans were based on WHO phasesworst case
  scenariowe must look at situation and respond
  accordingly
• Information changes rapidly and we must be
  flexible
• We must remain vigilant in keeping a workplace
  healthy

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Pandemic Planning Strategies

• Familiarize yourself with agency policies and
  guidance on dealing with a pandemic health crisis
• Identify alternative methods for continuing
  critical office functions during a pandemic
  health crisis and discussed them with your
  employees
• Alternative work arrangements, such as remote
  access, working from alternative sites, and
  flexible or compressed work schedules
• Communication plans and procedures
• Teleconferencing and/or videoconferencing
  arrangements
• Review your agency and office human resource
  policies
• Watch for alerts or changes to policies relating
  to sick leave (for example, sick leave usage)

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Strategies, Continued

• Update employee contact information and develop a
  plan for keeping the information current
• Establish and test procedures for contacting
  employees (i.e., telephone call trees or
  comparable procedures)
• Develop a contingency plan for accomplishing work
  during increased employee absenteeism, including
  cross-training workers to cover for employees who
  are not able to work.
• Plan for 3-deep in priority 1 and 2 services

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If you are a Supervisor

• Familiarize yourself with your agency Employee
  Assistance Program (EAP) procedures and
  communicate with employees about the EAP
• Identify employees with special needs, such as
  those with physical impairments, and include
  their needs in planning
• Familiarize yourself with employee and agency
  requirements and obligations for requesting and
  approving leave and other agency-specific
  policies and procedures
• Familiarize yourself with agency specific
  guidance on communications and discuss the
  guidance with employees

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Actions Supervisors can take

• Discuss the pandemic and the possibility of an
  other wave of an outbreak with your employees
• Explain that state government operations will
  continue. Stress need for employees to plan for
  how they will continue to work (in office, at
  alternative site, or from home)
• Remind your employees about the availability of
  information on the Minnesota Department of Health
  and Minnesota Management and Budget Websites
  (listed at the end of this presentation)

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Actions Supervisors can take

• Reassess all positions and employees for
  potential remote access agreements
• Establish agreements/procedures in accordance
  with agencys remote access plan and offer remote
  access agreements to eligible employees
• Implement remote access arrangements as broadly
  as possible so systems and employees are fully
  prepared for remote work

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Summary

• Minnesota Department of Health anticipates that
  there will be more cases, more hospitalizations
  and more deaths associated with this new virus in
  the fall because the population has little to no
  immunity against it.
• We must all work together to limit and control
  the transmission of novel H1N1 influenza in order
  to continue priority government services.

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For more information

• Emergency preparedness
• MN Homeland Security and Emerg. Management
• Ready.gov
• Red Cross
• Human Resources and Continuity Planning
• BeReadyMN.com
• Pandemic influenza
• Centers for Disease Control
• MN Department of Health