FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 15, 2011

Health departments test emergency preparedness and response plans

Metro area health departments will participate in a large-scale, four-day, multidiscipline exercise next week to test their capability to react to a simulated bioterrorist attack. Law enforcement, emergency management and hospitals will also engage in the exercise, with oversight from both state health agencies and multiple federal agencies. The exercise will run from Monday through Thursday, April 18-21.

“It is our responsibility to be prepared in case of a wide variety of public health emergencies,” said Larry Jones, director of the city of Independence, Mo., Health Department. “Though all the departments have plans in place, exercises like this help us test those plans, recognize our strengths, and shore up portions that need improvement.”

The first day of the exercise will be a tabletop exercise, where participants will receive scenario information for several days leading up to the simulated discovery and test departmental and regional plans for the first day of response to an event. The second and third days will be a real-time test of those plans and staff preparedness, with new information injected into the exercise at irregular intervals to simulate real-life changes in an emergency situation. The fourth day will wrap up the exercise.

Approximately 30 field sites will simulate communications, distribution and dispensing of medical supplies to prevent infection. Area response and participation will be evaluated by third-party evaluators.

The exercise is sponsored by the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Regional Exercise Support Program.

For more information, contact your local health department.

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