Emergency Preparedness
Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition
A 2009 Emergency Dispensing Site drill served over 200 Ashfield residents during the H1N1 pandemic..
Project Overview
The Mohawk Area Public Health Coalition represents 64,671 people across Franklin and Hampshire Counties. In 2008, it served more than 78 percent of its residents with its planning and exercise program. This work was funded primarily by grant funds distributed through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, but because these events were fully compliant with all applicable State and Federal guidelines, including the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), MAPHCO secured more than $22,000 in additional funding from the Department of Homeland Security, for its efforts.
Current Activities
Frontier EDS (Emergency Dispensing Site): This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland, and Whately, representing 18 percent of the region’s population. It continues to be the most active district in the MAPHCO region. In October of 2010, the Frontier EDS ran a drive-thru flu clinic, which vaccinated 672 residents with an average time of nine minutes from Registration to Exit.
Greenfield EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from Greenfield, which represents 27 percent of the region’s population. The City is currently working with MAPHCO staff to organize a tabletop exercise in the spring of 2011 and a flu clinic in the fall.
Hawlemont EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from the towns of Charlemont, Hawley, Rowe, Monroe, and Heath, representing four percent of the region’s population. The EDS held two vaccination clinics during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009-2010, using these clinics as an opportunity to exercise their emergency dispensing site plan. With evaluation and feedback from these two clinics, the EDS team revised the plan to make them better prepared in the future.
Leverett/Shutesbury EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from the towns of Leverett and Shutesbury, which represents six percent of the region’s population. In 2010, the two towns signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding emergency delivery of vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile. The MOU states that the entire lot of vaccine will be delivered to Leverett; Shutesbury representatives will make arrangements to pick up their share from the Leverett facility.
Montague EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from Montague, Wendell, Erving, and Gill, representing 18 percent of the region’s population. It is also a very active EDS and is planning a drive-thru flu clinic of its own in the future.
Mohawk EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from the towns of Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, and Shelburne, representing twelve percent of the region’s population. The EDS held two vaccination clinics during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009-2010, using these clinics as an opportunity to exercise their emergency dispensing site plan. With evaluation and feedback from these two clinics, the EDS team revised the plan to make them better prepared in the future.
Williamsburg/Goshen EDS: This EDS consists of board of health representatives and other volunteers from the towns of Williamsburg and Goshen, representing five percent of the region’s population. MAPHCO staff conducted a call down drill in February of 2011 with the Williamsburg/Goshen EDS volunteers. The drill asked volunteers if they would be able to assemble within 24 hours to dispense medications if a threat of anthrax was present. Over 75% of those contacted responded with 19 minutes and 70% said they would be able to respond. This included Dunphy Elementary School (the emergency dispensing site), which said it could use the Reverse 911 system to alert parents to keep students home because the facility was being used for a public health emergency response effort.
Conferences and Training
In February of 2011, MAPHCO paid for one staff member and one volunteer board of health member to attend a national conference in Atlanta organized by the National Association of City and County Health Officials. These two individuals will stretch the MAPHCO training investment further by reporting back to the MAPHCO Steering Committee in April on the lessons they learned through the many workshops they attended.
Supplies and Equipment
Future Plans
In the coming year we plan to continue our progress of working with towns to get them farther along the path of preparedness. This will include a series of exercises testing the preparedness of the emergency dispensing sites and their volunteers, review and revision of written emergency plans with assistance from a professional technical writer, and advocating for the needs of local boards of health. Additionally, MAPHCO staff are in the process of organizing trainings for board of health volunteers in risk communications and in best practices for working with individuals requiring additional assistance.
Contact: Nina Martin-Anzuoni, Lindsey Britt or Tracy Rogers.
This page was last updated on 03/22/2011 .