Reducing the Burden on Local Health Departments by Using Community Resources for Mass Dispensing of Medical Countermeasures

Emergency planners at LHDs continue to develop mass prophylaxis plans to prophylax entire populations within 48 hours in order to reduce mortality after a bioterrorist attack. Although, PODs serve as cornerstones for mass prophylaxis many LHDs find it extremely difficult to prophylax their entire population within 48 hours. Given the spate of recent budget cuts at the local and state level LHDs barely have the staff to perform day to day functions, let alone emergency POD operations that is staffing resource intensive. Los Angeles County (LAC) has a residential population of 10 million people. LAC would require 204 PODs and approximately 15,000 staff per 12 hour shift for POD operations alone. Given this massive strain on staffing LACDPH began looking at volunteer resources from the community to staff PODs.

LACDPH began focusing heavily on its volunteer staffing in order to train staff in POD operations. The long term goal was to eventually organize a POD staffed completely by volunteers from the community. In November 2012, LACDPH working with local community organizations organized a POD completely staffed by volunteers. CERT would provide volunteers to handle parking and traffic control outside the POD, LA MRC would provide the clinical staff and PHEV would provide the non-clinical staffing for the POD. LACDPH would only staff four key ICS positions. The POD was heavily evaluated by LACDPH personnel for its client throughput and long term feasibility. The POD was a success and lay to rest all questions related to an all-volunteer run POD.