VDH is in the process of collecting Pan Flu documents and informational handouts for resource and best / promising practice-sharing. Please submit your documents via email to: EPRquestion@vdh.virginia.gov.
Goodwin House Alexandria Pandemic Influenza Response Plan
Hanover County Public Schools
Pandemic Planning: It takes a team effort
The key to achieving success with any given task is to have a concrete approach when tackling that task. When Hanover began to develop a Pandemic Response Plan, we quickly realized that in order for the plan to be effective, it would require a team effort. We felt it was beneficial to use a coordinated school health approach, collaboration with other healthcare providers within the area and to enhance community awareness so each person would understand their roles in carrying out the plan.
By using a coordinated school health approach, the directors of various departments in transportation, instruction, technology, health services and so on could provide valuable insight and input about what needed to be done within their departments in the event of a pandemic.
A first meeting was set between the Director of Transportation, the Director of Building Services, the Director of Custodial Services, the Assistant Superintendent of Student and Support Services, the Director of Communications for the school system and the Director for Health Services. The purpose of this meeting was to review what needed to be included in a pandemic plan from the very beginning. The team realized, at this meeting, that it would be essential to incorporate guidance from the Hanover Health Department, EMS personnel, the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Health.
The goal of this pandemic plan was two-fold. The first segment focused on the gathering of data as well as other information and then actually writing a Pandemic Response Plan using a coordinated school health approach for Hanover County Public Schools.
After reviewing numerous pandemic plans from other counties, continuing to communicate with other directors and collaborating with the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Department of Health as well as the Hanover County Health Department, a checklist of essential needs was made that needed to be addressed within each department. A sub-committee of staff members at the School Board Office was formed to obtain feedback on ideas that were included in this list. A letter was sent to each department leader asking them to send a representative to a pandemic meeting that was held at the school board office. In the checklist each department was separated into different categories. There was a category for Administration, Building Services, Communications, Custodial Services, Finance, Food Services, Health Services, Human Resources, Instruction, Technology and Transportation. Hanover felt that the best way to obtain accurate information from each department on their handling of a pandemic would be to have the department representatives address the needs personally with members of their department and report back findings for the plan.
Once shared, each department leader was asked to provide input on how their department would respond in the event of a pandemic. Each department was given identifiable tasks in the checklist of needs that seemed pertinent to their area of expertise. The checklist has been attached for you to view. They were then asked to look at the given task and address it. After a period of two weeks, the department leaders were asked to submit their written feedback to the pandemic sub-committee. The sub-committee met along with members of the Hanover County Health Department as well as EMS personnel.
In Hanover, we felt that the interactions in this meeting promoted a very positive environment and the key members took comfort in knowing that their voices had been heard.
Once that information was gathered the actual process of writing the plan began. We now have a completed plan that begins with an overview of pandemics, shows a line of succession for who will be in charge if the director is ill and then follows the Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Evaluation pattern.
Planning Districts 1 and 2
School based, health department lead partnership for annual influenza vaccinations: Piloted October -November 2007
A pilot annual in-school flu vaccine program for students and staff in Virginia planning districts 1 and 2 (7 rural counties, one city). Designed to provide an in-school influenza vaccination opportunity to any child regardless of vaccine type (shot/spray) or payment source (Medicaid/uninsured/insured) as a means to engage schools in routine mass dispensing procedures to facilitate familiarity with the process and create and sustain the relationships needed to more effectively accomplish similar action in any emergency as well as a sustainable annual positive public health intervention in itself.
In Lenowisco planning district, over 1457 students and teachers were vaccinated in the vaccination clinics conducted in all Wise County and Norton City public schools. This is 17% of the school's total population. In Cumberland Plateau planning district the pilot also occurred in all 9 elementary school in Tazewell County as well as two in Russell County for a total of 602 vaccinations.
The effort involved approximately 30 onsite school clinics staffed by health department nurses and clerks as well as school nurses and support staff. The pilots, called flu clues, included an education component and made use of emergency response capabilities such as reverse 911. The projects received IRB approval and are undergoing further analysis and study of several outcomes. For more information, sample letters, sample forms etc. contact Project Leads and District Epidemiologists Paige Lucas, MPH (276) 988-5585 x105 at the Tazewell County Health Department, Delilah Long, MPH at the Wise County Health Department (276)328-1923 or District Director John Dreyzehner MD, MPH.
