Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of this presentation participants will be able to recognize the planning, logistic, and operational factors that vary between a drill and a real emergency.


Background:
In July 2003, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health (DHH/OPH) conducted a drill to test the state's capacity to respond to a bioterrorism event. This drill was designed to evaluate the preparedness of state agencies to respond to a specific outbreak and tested statewide point of distribution (POD) capacity in relation to the SNS. During drill preparation, DHH/OPH recognized an opportunity to leverage the state's immunization registry efforts in this exercise, and offered childhood immunizations to the public. The 3-day drill contributed to the immunization of over 11,000 patients with 25,000 vaccinations.
In August 2005, lessons learned from that drill were applied when Hurricane Katrina forced more than 60,000 Louisiana residents into temporary shelters there and across the nation. In addition to immediate needs, such as food and shelter residents were possibly exposed to vaccine-preventable diseases that could easily spread in close quarter living.



Setting:
Mass immunization shelter clinics across Louisiana.


Population:
Residents impacted by Hurricane's Katrina and Rita.


Project Description:
Following Katrina, strike teams mobilized to provide immunizations to shelter evacuees. Prior to the first clinic, planning, logistic, and operational issues surfaced such as site selection and location, accessing immunization data without Internet connectivity, storing vaccine/supplies, and determining clinic flow in shelter conditions which varied by location. In the next weeks, over 25,000 patients were vaccinated.


Results/Lessons Learned:
In the event of a true disaster, there is little time to plan a response. Action must be taken immediately to respond to ensure the safety of the community at large. By conducting drills in advance, many critical, logistical issues can be identified and addressed to assure organized deployment and operations during chaotic times.