Pandemic Response Team
Dutch2
1,590 Posts
Just a "heads-up" to everyone else....
With the swine-flu making headlines we had our first notification to the Pandemic Response Team members go out over the weekend. If certain events occur, they will automatically trigger an alert to our Response Team. Two of these events have occurred - human-to-human transmission and confirmed cases in the United States.
We are currently on low alert which consists of verifying supplies on hand, investigating the purchase of supplies if not already on hand and continue to monitor the situation very closely. Plan members are being asked to make recommendations for additional actions to be taken at this time, if necessary. We are also making preparations to step up our response if it becomes necessary.
With the swine-flu making headlines we had our first notification to the Pandemic Response Team members go out over the weekend. If certain events occur, they will automatically trigger an alert to our Response Team. Two of these events have occurred - human-to-human transmission and confirmed cases in the United States.
We are currently on low alert which consists of verifying supplies on hand, investigating the purchase of supplies if not already on hand and continue to monitor the situation very closely. Plan members are being asked to make recommendations for additional actions to be taken at this time, if necessary. We are also making preparations to step up our response if it becomes necessary.
Comments
The reality - as I see it, of course - is this... A pandemic plan is, for most organizations, an exercise in using the threat of disaster to get us to do things we should already be doing: Keeping emergency contact information up-to-date; Having contingencies for reduced of workforce; Maintaining adequate levels of supplies; etc. I've asked the 'experts' several times what specific preparation for pandemic would not be included in our preparation for any other major disaster. The answer tends to run the gamut from "mumblety-mumblety" to "blah, blah, blah". And that's not a very wide gamut.
There's an awful lot of money being spent with various consultants and other vendors on pandemic planning, when many companies haven't even defined what steps to take if the power goes off or the internet goes down.
[url]http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm[/url]
Sharon
[URL]http://employmentlawpost.com/theword/2009/04/28/swine-flu-and-you/[/URL]