Preparedness Planning for Immunization Information Systems

Background:
The Riverside County Department of Public Health requested all programs develop a continuity of operations plan (COOP) as part of emergency preparedness efforts. Programs were asked to define essential services that would be continued during emergency situations.

Setting:
Riverside County, CA

Population:
IIS Staff

Project Description:
Emergency preparedness involves planning for a variety of emergencies. Events can be wide-spread or localized. Based on the nature and location of the event, the number and type of essential and suspended services can vary. The COOP planning process takes into account the type and geographical location of emergency event and possible IIS staff roles. Geographical location was defined as event levels. Three event levels were used: county-wide, regional and localized to a specific city/ community. All IIS services provided under normal circumstances were listed. Essential services and suspended services were defined from this list for each event level. The more localized the event, the greater the number of essential services provided. The resources required for staff to operate in each of the events were determined. For VaxTrack staff, this included laptops with wireless internet access, and flash drives containing essential forms and a current copy of the provider management database.

Results/Lessons Learned:
IIS activities are not always seen as essential services during emergency situations. However, that perception is changing as IISs have played a role in responding to large-scale disasters (Hurricane Katrina) to more localized events (multiple wild fires affecting communities in the San Bernardino County mountains). Including IIS staff in a recent pandemic flu exercise enabled them to understand the roles they may play in an emergency, and it provided staff with a clearer picture of resources that would be needed.