A National Study Examining Closed Points of Dispensing (PODs): Existence, Preparedness, Exercise Participation, and Training Provided

Orange Flame is an Israeli preparedness build-up project, conducted by the Ministry of Health, that is aimed at improving national readiness and preparedness for unusual biological events. The project is intended for both medical and nonmedical organizations, and, since 2011, the exercise has also included operational units outside the medical corps. This has provided valuable insights into the consequences of bioterror or naturally occurring outbreaks for operative functionality and for the unique medical, logistical, and administrative efforts required from the armed forces in such an event. The 2-day drill reported on here executed a notional scenario in which category A bioterror agents were dispersed, causing civil and military casualties. Military personnel observed and assessed the performances of all participating organizations and observed the employment of emergency protocols during the drill. Military sustainment and operative capabilities were significantly affected by the occurrence of an unusual biological event. Comprehensive actions to be executed during such a scenario included quarantining military bases, considering postponement of military operations, and transferring on-call missions to other bases. Logistic consequences included the need for manpower and equipment reinforcement, as well as food and water supplies in cases of suspected source contamination. The project unveiled many operational and logistic quandaries and exposed various potential effects of a bioterror attack in the military. Lessons learned were used to revise preevent national and military doctrine for unusual biological events.

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“…The mode of action and formation of the center should be based on civil doctrine and must be tailored specifically to military clinics. 26 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications Drawn from a Military Bioterror Exercise in Israel

Berger¹,

Fogel²,

Poles³

et al. 2015

Health Security

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“…The existence of closed PODs and the extent of closed POD coverage for these jurisdictions were also assessed in this study; the results have been published previously. 6 Three-quarters of jurisdictions (74.2%, n = 181) have at least 1 closed POD. Almost all jurisdictions with a closed POD(s) have 1% to 10% or 11% to 30% of their population covered by a closed POD(s) (47% and 38.7%, respectively).…”

Section: Plans and Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Almost all jurisdictions with a closed POD(s) have 1% to 10% or 11% to 30% of their population covered by a closed POD(s) (47% and 38.7%, respectively). 6…”

Section: Plans and Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…PODs can be either ''open'' or ''closed'': All community members are offered access to open POD sites, and closed PODs are available only to the entity hosting the POD. 6 Although many jurisdictions have begun developing closed PODs, the vast majority of most jurisdictions' population will need to access an open POD to obtain MCMs, because widespread closed POD coverage does not currently exist. 6 Deploying open PODs is complex and requires extensive planning, dedicated resources, and multiple exercises to assess readiness.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…6 Although many jurisdictions have begun developing closed PODs, the vast majority of most jurisdictions' population will need to access an open POD to obtain MCMs, because widespread closed POD coverage does not currently exist. 6 Deploying open PODs is complex and requires extensive planning, dedicated resources, and multiple exercises to assess readiness. Historically, the CDC has used the Technical Assistance Review (TAR) to assess CRI jurisdictions' ability to dispense MCMs (ie, open POD preparedness for deployment).…”

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confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Are US Jurisdictions Prepared to Dispense Medical Countermeasures Through Open Points of Dispensing? Findings from a National Study

RebmannTerri¹,

Loux²,

SwickZachary³

et al. 2015

Health Security

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Communities will rely on open points of dispensing (PODs) for mass dispensing of medical countermeasures following a bioterrorism attack or a pandemic. US Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) open POD preparedness is assessed using the Technical Assistance Review (TAR) but focuses on oral prophylaxis dispensing; mass vaccination readiness is not well measured. Non-CRI preparedness had not been studied. In 2013 an online questionnaire was sent to all 456 CRIs and a random sample of 500 non-CRIs to measure open POD preparedness and exercise participation. Hierarchical linear regression was used to describe factors associated with higher POD preparedness and exercise participation scores. In total, 257 subjects participated, for a 41% response rate. Almost all open PODs have existing written plans and/or a layout for each site (93.4%, n=240, and 87.0%, n=220). Only half (46.7%, n=120) have an alternative dispensing modality in place, and even fewer (42.6%, n=104) report having adequate staffing. Determinants of open POD preparedness were perceived preparedness, participation in more POD exercises, and more closed POD coverage. Most jurisdictions conducted a full-scale exercise and a staff notification drill (83.7%, n=215 for both). Fewer than half (40.5%, n=104) have conducted a vaccination clinic exercise. Determinants of increased POD exercises were perceived preparedness, years of work experience, community type (nontribal), and larger population. Because successful open POD deployment is critical, jurisdictions need to plan for mass vaccination, use of alternative dispensing modalities, and recruitment strategies to increase POD staffing.

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Developing Public Health Emergency Response Leaders in Incident Management: A Scoping Review of Educational Interventions

Li¹,

Hsu

Pham³

et al. 2021

Disaster med. public health prep.

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During emergency responses, public health leaders frequently serve in incident management roles that differ from their routine job functions. Leaders’ familiarity with incident management principles and functions can influence response outcomes. Therefore, training and exercises in incident management are often required for public health leaders. To describe existing methods of incident management training and exercises in the literature, we queried 6 English language databases and found 786 relevant articles. Five themes emerged: (1) experiential learning as an established approach to foster engaging and interactive learning environments and optimize training design; (2) technology-aided decision support tools are increasingly common for crisis decision-making; (3) integration of leadership training in the education continuum is needed for developing public health response leaders; (4) equal emphasis on competency and character is needed for developing capable and adaptable leaders; and (5) consistent evaluation methodologies and metrics are needed to assess the effectiveness of educational interventions. These findings offer important strategic and practical considerations for improving the design and delivery of educational interventions to develop public health emergency response leaders. This review and ongoing real-world events could facilitate further exploration of current practices, emerging trends, and challenges for continuous improvements in developing public health emergency response leaders.

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A National Study Examining Closed Points of Dispensing (PODs): Existence, Preparedness, Exercise Participation, and Training Provided

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Implications Drawn from a Military Bioterror Exercise in Israel

Implications Drawn from a Military Bioterror Exercise in Israel

Are US Jurisdictions Prepared to Dispense Medical Countermeasures Through Open Points of Dispensing? Findings from a National Study

Developing Public Health Emergency Response Leaders in Incident Management: A Scoping Review of Educational Interventions

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