BACKGROUND:
Public health departments are expected to immunize or prophylax communities against diseases such as smallpox or influenza rapidly during public health emergencies, and track data throughout this process. Immunization registries have been capturing immunizations and demographic information for nearly a decade and are logical repository for these records.

OBJECTIVE:
1. Demonstrate that registries have central leadership role in EP (EP) within healthcare and emergency management system (police, fire, EMS) in the US.
2. Demonstrate that registries incorporate standards and experience pertinent to EP, and can provide leadership role in EP planning.
3. Provide information on what AIRA (the American Immunization Registry Association) and CDC are doing to better position registries in EP.

METHOD:
Some registries have been preparing EP modules since 9-11. AIRA formed Bioterrorism committee in October 2002 at the IRC. The committee has since developed and implemented a workplan that intersects the following CDC teams: registry team, PHIN, smallpox team, OTPR. AIRA committee members met with these CDC teams in January 2004 to advocate for use of registries in EP and to identify core set of functional standards for immunization registries in support of EP. The AIRA Bioterrorism Committee is also conducting survey of immunization registry projects around nation to determine how widely registries are being used to support EP.

RESULT:
Because registries play a critical role in EP, AIRA is committed to working with CDC in a coordinated manner to ensure registries are leveraged for EP and registry projects meet a set of minimum standards to support EP.

CONCLUSION:
Immunization registries can and should be a vital component of EP infrastructure – they are a proven resource that’s already used in daily work across the country. The registry community is working to ensure registries are integral part of EP and are incorporated throughout the planning process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Participants will be able to identify how immunization registries can be used to support emergency preparedness.
2. Participants will be able to identify other critical CDC EP activities that impact immunization registries.