Pulling in the Partners

1
Pulling in the Partners

• Establishing relationships within the community
  for the common good

J.J. Justis Emergency Planner Eastern Shore
Health District
2
Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc.

• 5 Community Health Centers located all along the
  60 mile peninsula of the Eastern Shore of
  Virginia.
• Centers serve as primary care clinics for 75-80
  of the Eastern Shore population.
• Centers receive federal grant monies to serve
  indigent and migrant patients.

3
Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc.continued

• All centers have highly skilled staff MD, PA,
  NP, RN, LPN, DDS, Health Educators,
  Administrative and IT staff, and translators
• All centers have several examination rooms and
  each center has crash cart equipped with
  defibrillator
• There is a center located within 25 miles of all
  areas of the Eastern Shore.

4
What are the benefits of a partnership for ESHD?

• Stand alone operational clinics requiring minimal
  equipment being brought in during an emergency
• Highly skilled staff that are familiar with the
  center
• Locations close to everyone

5
What are the benefits for Eastern Shore Rural
Health?

• Volunteers and immediate family receive
  prophylaxis prior to general population
• Daycare for children provided through MOU with
  ESAAA/CAA Head Start program close to centers
• Community service

6
How do we train and exercise together?

• All 5 centers are exercised each year as a NEHC
  operation
• Each exercise involves setup, walk-thru
  explaining patient flow, and scenario based
  treatment involving several patients
• Twelve ESRH staff members just graduated from
  CERT class
• Job description sheets are available at each
  center so staff knows their role in advance

7
Isolation Flow Signs
8
First Aid Flow Signs
9
Dispensing Flow Signs
10
Staff Only Signs
11
Sample NEHC Flow Diagram
12
How do we train and exercise together?

• First responders including CERT and MRC members
  exercise with Rural Health and ESHD staff
  members.
• It is important that we involve all responders in
  our exercises so we know all the players and
  establish a network of team members well before
  the emergency.

13
NEHC Exercises
14
Volunteers play a vital role in NEHC operations!
Eastern Shore Medical Reserve Corps 131 Members
Eastern Shore Community Emergency Response
Team 60 Members
15
Eastern Shore Rural Health CERT Team
16
Eastern Shore Disaster Preparedness Coalition

• The mission of the ESDPC is to prepare the
  Eastern Shore of Virginia for all types of
  disasters and to promote regional planning and
  coordination.
• The Coalition is recognized as an advisory body
  to the Board of Supervisors for Accomack And
  Northampton County and the Chincoteague Town
  Council

17
Intent of the Coalition

• To work closely with all response agencies to
  provide education, plan emergency response drills
  and facilitate collaborative efforts in emergency
  planning and response.

18
Tabletop Exercise

• October 20, 2005
• 100 persons representing almost all response
  agencies on the Eastern Shore.
• Utilized a hazardous materials scenario at a
  local processing plant
• Encouraged collaboration within the response

19
Key players at tabletop
20
Sent letters from governing bodies as opposed to
Coalition
21
What did we learn?

• We need a lot of ICS training across the first
  responder population
• Plans need to be revised in collaboration with
  all agencies involved
• We need to plan and train together more

22
Rural Issues to consider in our planning,
training and response

• Large geographic area
• Lack of transportation
• Lack of public alert system
• Large Hispanic population
• Literacy levels
• Poverty levels
• Underserved in healthcare

23
Questions?