As Missouri DHSS continues to develop its statewide emergency response plan, added attention is turning toward disaster preparedness planning.  Recently, DHSS decided to create a new Task Force on Disaster Planning much the same way it formed the very successful Time Critical Diagnosis Task Force.

 

The first order of business is bringing the right people from all over the state to the table to form the brand new committee.  Invitations to join the task force were sent in the first week of August to hospital and pre-hospital professionals statewide.  The first meeting is scheduled for late August.

With any disaster scenario, the role of DHSS is to:

o    Assure rapid medical care on a large scale
o    Assure lifesaving medical supplies
o    Provide public information
o    Provide ongoing education and training
o    Assure management of fatalities
o    Assure immediate communications among experts, supply sources and on-site managers

After September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax threats, DHSS took on a new role implementing new procedures for emergency, terrorism, mass casualty and disaster related procedures.

Effectively the ball was already rolling to some degree at that time with many of the programs and procedures in place as well as the skills, knowledge and experience of the staff and existing partnerships with local public health agencies, health care providers and law enforcement throughout the state.

Most of us are aware that since that time DHSS has implemented new emergency response and terrorism procedures and made plans for the specialized equipment and staff needed to respond more quickly if we have a terrorist event in Missouri. Also the Time Critical Diagnosis Plan, moving into execution phase since legislation was signed by Governor Matt Blunt, is unique in that it is the only one of its kind in the nation.  While a number of other states have time critical systems for STEMI or Stroke or trauma individually, Missouri is the only state currently creating one strategic plan for all three.

An upgraded disaster preparedness plan, guided by the new task force, will focus greatly on the involvement of local and regional hospital and pre-hospital agencies.  Disaster scenarios include dam failure, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, extreme heat, hyperthermia, landslides, power outages, thunderstorms and lightning, tornadoes, extreme cold and winter storms and more.

Until recently, DHSS had not integrated its disaster planning and response activities with the EMS community.

 
“The EMS community has of course been very engaged in emergency response,” said DHSS Director, Jane Drummond.  “We have been working on a disaster planning concept for some time, but we weren’t talking to EMS agencies.  That’s changing now because it’s very important to us that they are apprised of what the department has to offer, what we we’ve been doing and what our plans are.”

As an example of past communication gaps, Drummond says that DHSS had not involved EMS in planning for the evacuation of special needs populations, setting up shelters and meeting special health care needs.
“It makes great sense to incorporate the experience and expertise of the EMS community for something like staffing special needs shelters,” says Drummond. “They are the ones accustomed to these environments.”
Drummond says the goal now is for DHSS and EMS to move in the same direction. 

“We think we understand the role of EMS in disaster planning, but we want to be sure EMS agrees with us,” says Drummond

Drummond says she envisions the task force as an ongoing committee, since there are so many facets to disaster planning. 

“When it comes to emergency planning, you’re never finished,” says Drummond.
The Department of Health and Senior Services expanded its Center for Emergency Response and Terrorism adding communication, medical capacity and more. The Department Situation Room is staffed by a duty officer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and monitors the day-to-day emergency preparedness of the state. For emergencies and disease reporting, call the Department Situation Room at 800-392-0272.