Department of Community Health Outlines Bioterrorism Preparedness Plan
Michigan Department of Community Health Chief Medical Executive, Dr. David R. Johnson, today presented Michigan's Bioterrorism Preparedness plan to the Senate Health Policy Committee in Lansing. In fiscal year 2000, Michigan received a three year grant of approximately $1.5 million per year, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for stronger public health preparedness for bioterrorism.
"In recent years, Michigan has been preparing for how to respond in the event of a bioterrorist attack," said Johnson. "While much work has already been accomplished there is more to do, which is why we will continue to focus on this extremely important area. The expertise and dedication of the health care providers and public health professionals involved in these efforts will play a critical role in our response to bioterrorism."
The CDC funding has been used to improve the nation's public health infrastructure to quickly detect disease symptoms from unknown agents and protect against the consequences of these biological or chemical attacks. "The funding Michigan received from the CDC was one of the largest grant awards in the country," said Johnson. "We have been able to use this funding to enhance our ability to respond to acts of bioterrorism across the entire state."
The five specific focus areas funded by the CDC include:
Preparedness Planning and Readiness Assessment This funding has been used to coordinate with emergency management activities in preparedness and response to a bioterrorist event through the existing Michigan Emergency Management Plan. It coordinates these statewide activities with the Michigan Department of Community Health Bureaus of Epidemiology and Laboratories, the Michigan State Police, FBI, local health departments, Michigan National Guard, Emergency Medical Services representatives, Poison Control Centers, area physicians and hospitals.
The CDC National Pharmaceutical Stockpile program has developed a national repository of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical material that they can deliver to the site of a chemical or biological terrorism event. The Michigan Department of Community Health and the Michigan State Police Emergency Management Division are developing a plan and protocols in order to effectively receive and distribute these vital supplies in Michigan.
Enhancement of Disease Detection and Reporting This funding has been used to hire communicable disease epidemiologists to work specifically in the area of bioterrorism. These specialists provide training to local health departments, physicians, nurses and other health professionals to improve their ability to detect and respond to all communicable disease outbreaks in Michigan, particularly those caused by unknown agents. There are plans to also develop a statewide network of infectious disease specialist physicians who can quickly diagnose illness caused by viruses and bacteria with bio-weapons potential.
A statewide Emergency Notification System has been implemented, which through a combination of faxes and e-mail, can inform and provide additional information to local health departments, clinical laboratories, state medical societies, State Police and other agencies.
Partnerships have been developed with the Michigan State Police, the FBI and the state Metropolitan Medical Response Systems (MMRS) to have health professionals who are specially trained and equipped to provide medical care and health services to victims of weapons of mass destruction.
Biological Laboratory Capacity This funding has expanded training of state and local biological laboratories in a tiered response for detection and control of bioterrorism events. Hospital and community clinical laboratories continue to be trained to recognize and forward suspect specimens to one of five regional public health laboratories. These labs will perform initial confirmation and then forward specimens to the state's central public health laboratory in Lansing which has been trained to identify these agents and liaison with the national reference lab at the CDC in Atlanta.
Chemical Laboratory Capacity This funding has allowed Michigan to acquire and maintain state of the art diagnostic capabilities for human exposure to chemical agents likely to be used by terrorists. This includes state laboratory training, purchase of highly sensitive equipment, development of rapid methods to determine the exposure level of the involved individuals. The state will also collaborate with the CDC to insure proper chain of custody, adequate security, transport and storage of specimens, and for secure and effective communication of laboratory results.
Health Alert Network This funding, which is expected to be received in fiscal year 2002, will be used to enhance the statewide Emergency Notification System and do additional training with local health departments, hospitals and health care providers to improve communications during a crisis situation.
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