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Oct. 12, 2005

Pandemic influenza preparedness: Executive initiative funding

Goals:

1. Invest in strategies that decrease the extent and severity of illness and death on the residents of King County .
2. Enhance community education and outreach efforts to empower all King County residents, businesses, and government agencies with information to protect themselves, their families and employees from influenza.

Essential Pandemic Preparedness Measures – strengthen our community's ability to respond and recover from the consequences of an influenza pandemic

• Giving people the information they need to protect themselves
• Development and execution of comprehensive media campaign on good health hygiene
• Distribution of printed materials to hospitals, schools, and other community organizations
• Targeted media to limited English speaking populations

$250,000

• Strengthening support, outreach and training to vulnerable populations
• Conduct needs assessments identifying types of resources and information vulnerable populations need during emergencies
• Provide training and job aids for cultural leaders and medical interpreters to serve as information conduits to vulnerable populations during emergencies
• Partner with cultural leaders and medical interpreters across the county to build sustainable preparedness capabilities within communities

$250,000

• Enhancing our ability to care for sick people
• Strengthen ability of hospitals to care for surge of patients
• Strengthen ability of outpatient health care providers to support patients
• Develop communications systems and processes that enable health care organizations to coordinate response efforts
• Stockpile supplies for health care providers to reduce the spread of influenza and other diseases (alcohol hand gel, masks)

$500,000

Total - $1,000,000

Antiviral Medications – Acquisition, delivery and dispensing of antiviral medications

Overview

Antiviral medications, specifically Tamiflu, are in extremely limited supply. Therefore, their use must be prioritized in order to reduce the severity of illness and prevent death for the greatest number of patients infected with influenza. Use of antivirals for prevention is not recommended since the medication must be taken by an individual for the duration of the pandemic (several weeks to months), and side effects can be severe.

National guidelines regarding the use of antivirals during a pandemic identify specific groups of patients as high priority. High priority groups include health care workers, Public Health pandemic responders, front line responders, critical infrastructure providers and symptomatic patients with underlying health conditions. Antivirals should be prioritized to members of these groups, if their condition warrants, when they become ill with influenza during a pandemic.

 

Acquisition, storage and distribution of antiviral medications during a pandemic to health care providers will require complex planning and coordination with a multitude of community and health system partners.

Regional Public Information Network (RPIN) – Increase regional capacity to disseminate emergency messages and increase regional operational readiness across jurisdictions.

Executive Proposal Summary

Grand Total                   $5,960,000

Additional information:

• Pandemic flu preparedness news release

Updated: Oct. 12, 2005

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