Pandemic Flu Planning

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Pandemic Flu Planning

• Victor Brugh, M.D., FACEP
• Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

2
Key Components

• Upper Management Support
• Funding
• Being Proactive
• Taking a Global Approach
• Conducting a Pandemic Exercise
• Attending to the Details

3
Each Business Area's Responsibilities

• Analysis of critical functions
• What business functions can be done remotely
• Last-man-standing analysis

4
We Use A Stage/Phase Approach

• WHO Phase or US Stage
• What will you do at each Stage/Phase?

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Stage 2 or Phase 3 Overview

• Management Education
• Employee Education
• In-house Vendor Discussion Management
• Miscellaneous Issues

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Management Education

• Detailed presentations to all appropriate levels
  of management
• What they should expect and plan for in a
  pandemic
• What they should be doing for their employees in
  advance of a pandemic
• Promoting infection control procedures
• Promoting annual influenza vaccination
• Have needed supplies on hand
• Hand sanitizer
• Surface sanitizer
• Anti-viral tissues
• Masks

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Management Education

• What they should do if they suspect an employee
  is ill and at work
• Screening by management?
• What questions is management going to ask?
• What will management tell the employee based on
  the answerers to those questions?
• What should they do once the employee has been
  sent home?
• What will they tell others in the department?

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Management Education

• What will be their health information source in a
  pandemic?
• Common gathering area management
• Cafeteria
• Lounges
• Fitness Centers
• Etc.

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Employee Education

• What medium will be used?
• Meetings
• Newsletters
• Video display terminals
• Posters have them ready in advance
• What information will you give out?
• Infection control techniques
• Get seasonal flu immunization
• Have needed supplies
• What resources will your organization provide to
  ill employees?

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Employee Education

• Employee personal/home planning
• CDC Pandemic Flu site
• Inform employees where they can get reliable
  information during a pandemic
• Approach to employees traveling overseas
• Signage
• Infection control techniques
• Symptoms of the flu
• Stay home if ill
• Area closed
• Where to get information

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Vendor Discussions Management

• What do you expect of them?
• What is their plan for a pandemic?
• Working with critical vendors
• Housekeeping
• Food services
• Non-critical vendor relationships
• Employer of choice programs

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Miscellaneous Issues

• How do you know which employee is absent due to
  illness, due to caring for the ill, etc.?
• What is your HR policy of employee absences in a
  pandemic?
• Is your attendance system up to the challenge?

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Miscellaneous Issues

• Screening of employees prior to coming into the
  building?
• What cross function support do you have?
• How will you handle employees calling into work
  with questions?
• What questions will they ask?

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Miscellaneous Issues

• Prepare ready-to-go communications that can be
  updated easily for each Stage/Phase of a pandemic
• For management
• For employees
• For vendors
• For the public
• Develop relationships with health resources

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Questions?