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Clay County Health Department holds POD training exercise
If a health crisis requires local officials to disperse medication en mass throughout Clay County, a recent training exercise helped ensure the readiness by the Clay County Health Department.
On Saturday, March 7th, a POD (Point Of Distribution) set up within 30 minutes during a training exercise at Clay City High School. The training helped determine a few hiccups in the plan, but that’s fine, according to the event organizer.
“When you find mistakes or problems, no matter how big or small, I welcome that,” said Clay County Health Department’s Emergency Planning Coordinator Tom Champion. “That’s how we learn. Any time you can identify a mistake, you have the opportunity to fix that mistake. That way you fix problems before they become a problem in the real world, and make things better.”
The successful event in the southern portion of Clay County at the new gymnasium at the high school was part of the grant requirements specified by Homeland Security and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” Champion said. “These plans were in the works well over a year ago. This was not connected to the Coronavirus in any way.”
However, the current spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) across the world makes the recent training vital. A POD is a mass-dispensing site, located anywhere needed, that is capable of quickly providing medications/vaccinations/supplies to protect an entire community from potential bacterial/biological threats, epidemics or disasters within a target goal of 48 hours.
The medications/vaccinations/supplies handed out if a POD in enacted would come from the stockpile held in reserve first by the State of Indiana and then from the Strategic National Stockpile. The inventory is the nation’s most massive supply of potentially life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.
Due to the current COVID-19 issue, Champion said most counties are developing contingency plans with the state and federal government if the situation gets worse.
“We are making sure plans are in place to deal with it if that happens,” said Champion. “Today, we sat up this POD, making this the second potential location in the county.”
Champion said the new facility is perfectly designed to support a POD inside, and outside. The parking lot could easily be o set up to support mobile POD allowing for a drive-thru service for those individuals with disabilities or special needs.
It takes at least 26 volunteers to work 12-hour shifts to set up, disperse, and help people until the POD closes. Volunteers with medical experience such as doctors, nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians, and paramedics are definitely needed. However, Champion said there’s a job for everybody.
“We need the general public too,” said Champion. “People who can help people fill out a form, ask questions when people come in the door or even help wrangle children for parents at the POD. We also need runners to deliver things.”
People should contact the Clay County Health Department (812-448-9021 for more information) as soon as possible to provide their information. Champion said communities and agencies need to plan, train, and volunteer before an emergency happens.
“We prefer people to do this early. This allows us to confirm your contact information, your credentials, and have them on file,” said Champion, who explained a POD would be a restricted area and bound by HIPPA regulations. “This allows us to determine our resources.”
That is important because each county will have to rely upon their resources during an emergency. Finding enough volunteers can be difficult.
“That’s where mutual aid comes into play. I can tap another community to request volunteers and resources from there, and we can reciprocate in turn,” said Champion. “However, if it’s a big emergency, their community may be dealing with their situations.”
As Champion goes over the POD plan again in hopes of tweaking it into being even better, he is striving to improve the communication/notification process with the public.
“If a POD is enacted, the public will be notified through the CCHD website, several media outlets – radio, TV, and newspapers - within a 50-mile radius,” said Champion, who was grateful to the volunteers at the southern training exercise. “This was a major medical operation, and we had this set up in 30 minutes. No one was in a hurry, it wasn’t a race, and we did it in 30 minutes. I am so thankful for the volunteers, who gave up their Saturday to help do this, and make sure we are ready in the event of a dispersal event.”
To learn more about PODS or to volunteer, contact Tom Champion at the Clay County Health Department, 18 North Walnut Street, Brazil, or call 812-448-9021 for more information.