DSHS Hosts Regional H1N1 Workshops

In an effort to be proactive in creating a knowledgeable, organized response to a fall “novel” H1N1 outbreak, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) just completed 14 regional workshops. Hosted across Texas, the workshops reached out to physicians, health care providers, educators, volunteer groups and elected officials to provide information on the history of pandemic influenza planning, a review of the spring outbreak response and to discuss the coordinated community preparation required to mitigate a second wave of H1N1. Unlike during the spring, the current response plan is built around community-based solutions directed by local elected officials, school boards and health officials. County judges and mayors are asked to take the lead in steering the local movement. Several steps recommended include reaching out to others in the community to develop a plan; effectively communicating with the media and public to encourage positive citizen involvement; and engaging in continuity of operations planning for government, business and healthcare services.

A major factor in any community based response is an effective communication network between local elected leaders, school districts and the local/regional health officials. Another component to a positive outcome is an inclusion of volunteer groups and business and local church leaders in the planning discussion. The effectiveness of most non-pharmaceutical interventions, including infection control and social distancing, is dependent on varied community participation. According to the fall response plan, the triggers for enacting social distancing measures, like the cancelation of public events and school closures, are to be established at the local level based on local stakeholder input. Volunteer groups, churches and business leaders are encouraged to provide information to members and employees on household and individual infection control and be a conduit for the dispersal of other guidelines and flu control information. For counties without a pharmacy or a drug distribution infrastructure, the state and federal antiviral distribution plan must have local leadership involvement to be successful. In all cases, developing a relationship with the regional health services office is important. The public health service regional office should be at the front of the elected official rolodex for pandemic response planning. As an extension of the state, the regional offices provide support and guidance to officials charged with making social distancing and other decisions geared at controlling the outbreak or spread of H1N1. County officials are advised to work closely with the local and regional health authorities and local school districts to develop a response that best suits the community.

The workshops also stressed using the media to spread information — the right way. “To all elected officials, county judges, mayors or whomever, when you are talking with the media, please remove the word ‘swine’ from the conversation,” advised Jack Colley, Chief of the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management. This request emphasizes the need for concise, accurate and timely communication with the media, and through the media to the public. Chief Colley’s plea is in response to the negative effect the “swine” connotation has had on the Texas pork industry and shows how a seemingly harmless reference can have serious, widespread implications. Conversely, carefully thought out communication with the media may provide officials the upper hand in controlling a media led reaction to H1N1, as well as deliver essential messages to the public on matters regarding local control of influenza through non-pharmaceutical interventions. During the spring outbreak, many counties held regular, scheduled press briefings to present local H1N1 news and updates to the media.

Because of changing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and DSHS on returning to work and school after recovering from H1N1 infection, considerations of non-ill family members and questions about the severity of the H1N1 strain, developing a static continuity of operations plan is impossible. With the fluidity of the pandemic and the influence of local education and business stresses, a continuity plan has to be flexible enough to allow for alternatives to “normal” activity to be successful. Local leaders must plan for a potential loss in an in-office workforce, and at the same time, an increased demand for healthcare services especially in the uninsured and underinsured populations. Again, developing an effective continuity of operations plan requires the input of local health, education and business leaders.

While leadership response to the spring outbreak of the “novel” H1N1 was directed by the Texas Education Agency and DSHS in Austin, the fall response plan counts on strong local leadership to make the decisions that guide their communities. County judges and mayors are encouraged to develop networks before an event and have a plan based on that network interaction in place before H1N1 impacts their neighborhood. Leaders are asked to reach out to the local media market to help manage the message to the public regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions and personal responsibility. In rural counties, the responsibilities for county leadership are even more critical to safeguard the “safety net” citizens. To help officials manage the return of the H1N1 cycle this fall, DSHS has established www.TexasFlu.org. On the Texas Flu Web site, community leaders will find the latest federal and state guidelines for schools, business and government, and the different mitigation strategies in place. For additional information on the Texas H1N1 response and county leadership, please contact TAC Legislative staffer Bruce Barr at bruceb@county.org or (800) 456-5974.

More Info
Visit www.RecoverTexas.org for a PDF copy of the “Texas Pandemic Influenza Conference Presentations and Documents” and links to other Pandemic Flu resources.