Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112254

Erich K. Giebelhaus, MPP¹, Elsie U. Lee, MD MPH¹, Debra E. Berg, MD¹, Melissa A. Corrado², and Cheryl A. Starling, RN³. (1) Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 125 Worth Street, Room 222, CN 22-A, New York, NY 10013, 212-788-4242, egiebelh@health.nyc.gov, (2) Primary Care Development Corporation, 22 Cortlandt Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10007, (3) California Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 9800 Goethe Road, Box 46, Sacramento, CA 95826

Primary care centers (PCCs) are on the front line of response during a citywide emergency (e.g., SARS, September 11, 2001). However, PCC emergency preparedness (EP) activities have been constrained by limited resources and an absence of national PCC EP guidelines. Between September 2003 – March 2005, a HRSA-funded collaborative project with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Primary Care Development Corporation was conducted to: 1) assess the status of EP in selected PCCs; 2) identify gaps; 3) implement EP interventions; 4) conduct PCC-focused tabletop exercises; and 5) evaluate the tabletop and intervention processes. Twelve PCCs were selected based on diverse center and neighborhood demographics. On-site assessments were conducted using a questionnaire focusing on 11 categories of preparedness. Analyses of the questionnaire identified EP gaps that were shared with each PCC. Four of the 12 PCCs then participated in a five-month intervention process that sought to establish codified policies and procedures in EP at each center, using templates developed and provided by California Emergency Medical Services Authority and the California Primary Care Association. The intervention helped adapt these templates for further use. Post-intervention, each PCC participated in two tabletop exercises (pandemic influenza, smallpox) to validate selected protocols developed during the intervention process. Demonstrable improvements in EP were observed in each of the four centers. This demonstration project offered valuable insight, tools, and templates to improve EP in PCCs and integrated them into local and regional emergency response plans. This project will guide future PCC EP initiatives.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe core emergency preparedness criteria developed in this project that could be used by individual public health agencies to assess preparedness of primary care centers in their jurisdiction;
• Describe assessment, intervention, and evaluation processes conducted as part of this demonstration project;
• Define emergency preparedness barriers in primary care centers that were identified in this project;
• Discuss initiatives undertaken by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to integrate primary care centers into emergency planning activities in New York City;
• Apply lessons learned and outcomes of this demonstration project to local or state initiatives being conducted outside of New York City;
• Create a forum for an exchange of ideas about the role of primary care centers in emergency response

Keywords: Bioterrorism, Primary Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation