Health officials learn
bioterrorism response
Ocean County health officials learned firsthand what it’s like to respond to a bioterrorism attack.
Participating in a two-day training session recently, they got hands-on experience with a national program that could provide medical supplies in the aftermath of a bioterrorism event or other emergency.
Held in Cape May, county health officers, county health planners and each county’s bioterrorism state planner were invited to participate in the training event, which familiarized them with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Strategic National Stockpile Program (SNSP).
Joseph Przywara, public health coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department, said the program was a mix of background and technical information about the SNSP, followed by a day-long practical exercise in which small groups of participants responded to a mock bioterrorism emergency.
"The program was an overview of how to receive and distribute what is called a 50-ton ‘push package’ of medical supplies that would be used to supplement local resources in the event of a large scale emergency," Przywara said. "We broke down into our regional groups on the second day and, using a prepared scenario, developed an operations plan to meet the needs of the public using our available resources along with the push package from the CDC."
Among the challenges planners faced, he said, was initially identifying where to store the 50 tons of supplies that could be airlifted to the area within 12 hours of a declared emergency. According to the CDC, the package would require a building of about 12,000 square feet for the storage and distribution of supplies.
"You also have to identify the volunteer workers and professionals who would be needed to help you do everything from controlling the flow of people in and out of an area to the groups of persons necessary to quickly break down the large containers of supplies and repackage them into smaller units for local areas where medical assistance would be provided," Przywara said.
Edward Rumen, a bioterrorism risk coordinator for the Ocean County Health Department, Ocean County is in the Central East Coastal Region, comprised of Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex and Union counties.
"Our region, as well as all other regions in New Jersey, was determined by the state Department of Health and Senior Services," Rumen said. "We train for emergencies together, much the same as we did for the smallpox preparedness vaccination clinics that were held earlier this year."
The CDC has a dozen 12-hour push packages centrally located around the United States, Rumen said.
The packages are specially built containers that are designed to fit within the fuselage of cargo aircraft and can be quickly airlifted anywhere they are needed in the country within 12 hours of federal activation, Rumen said.
Przywara said representatives of the CDC were on hand with some full-sized containers that were used for training purposes and to familiarize the health officers and planners with the size and handling requirements needed.
"The push package contains large amounts of vital health care supplies that would be immediately needed over an extended period of time," Przywara said. "Along with the supplies, the CDC also sends a trained team of five or six technical advisers whose job it is to assist local authorities on receiving, distributing, dispensing and replenishing materials."
Every container comes with a color-coded packaging list, which serves as a quick identifier as to the type of supplies inside. Containers are made of a clear, tamper-proof material, making it easier to identify the contents inside.
"It is all designed to make it as easy as possible to use and avoid confusion and delay," Przywara said.
Rumen said such a system was used after 9-11 in New York City. "The CDC had personnel on the ground within five hours and two hours later, the supplies were there," he said.
Rumen said more training is planned in the future.
Przywara said the training was helpful.
"We discovered areas that will need additional attention as we continue our preparations to respond to a bio-terrorism event or other large-scale emergency," Przywara said. "This is still a relatively new area for public health resources and we are learning as we go along."
Rumen added, "While the risk of an actual bioterrorism event taking place in Ocean County remains low, the casualties could be high. It is important to keep training. Preparedness is the best tool in the fight against bioterrorism."