Transcript - Alliance of Information and Referral Systems

AIRS/UWW
Disaster Response Team
September 14, 2010
Mission Statement
To increase the capacity of the
Information and Referral field
to respond to Disasters
Vision Statement
AIRS & UWW will increase the capacity of the
Information and Referral field to respond to
disasters by establishing a Disaster Response
Team consisting of trained professionals who
can establish or supplement a call center during
times of Disaster and provide training to the
field during non-disaster times.
DRT History
• Hurricanes Katrina & Rita
• After Action Report
Findings/Recommendations
• UWW’s National Professional Council
• AIRS/UWW Partnership
• Past Deployments
Disaster Strikes
• Local I&R or 2-1-1 evaluates capacity
• Formal request submitted to DRT Leadership
• Assessment
•
– Of the disaster
– Of the needs
– Of our ability to respond
MOU signed
DRT Mobilization
• First wave of DRT identified
• DRT Emergency Coordinator first on scene
to prepare
• Team members deployed w/in 24 - 48hrs
of decision
• DRT Logistics staff will work with local
staff on housing & transportation
On-site
• DRT Emergency Coordinator & local staff
Chain of Command identified
• Communication structure & processes
identified
• DRT members arrive & supplement local
staff needs
• DRT Emergency Coordinator & local staff
determine needs for “Second Wave” of
DRT members
Exit Strategy
• Review of exit thresholds after daily
debriefings with local staff
• Discuss transition plan with local staff
After Action
• Evaluation of DRT response from
requesting agency
• Create after action report
Disaster Webinar
September 14, 2010
Presented By:
Charlene Hipes
COO, AIRS
What is RX Response
• Rx Response was developed as an initiative of America’s
pharmaceutical supply system in 2007 to help ensure the availability
of medicine to patients during a severe public health emergency.
• Rx Response acts as a single point of contact for the entire
pharmaceutical supply system and federal and state emergency
management officials to communicate pharmaceutical needs and
other issues which may impact the supply system.
The communications are actively monitored by all segments of
the pharmaceutical supply system to ensure the fastest possible
resolution.
Who are the Primary Rx Response Members
•
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Manufactures
Distributors
Dispensers/Pharmacies
Disaster/Relief Organizations
Federal, state and local government parties that respond to
disasters, while not part of the Coordinating Body, play a key role.
• Non-Profits, such as AIRS and United Way Worldwide assisted with
the training material and getting the word out.
History/Motivation for Creation
• The program was initiated by the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and based on
fears of a new pandemic outbreak in 2005.
• Following Hurricane Katrina, there was no single
point of contact for emergency managers and
relief agencies to contact the pharmaceutical
supply system.
What is the Real Benefit
•
In the event of a severe public health emergency or disaster, one of
the many critical factors in preserving and protecting public health
will be continued access to essential medicines – for treatment of
injuries or illness caused by the event, as well as continued supply of
medicines for patients.
• First and foremost, the program helps communication between first
responders and relief workers and those involved in the
pharmaceutical supply system during an emergency or disaster.
Emergency Pharmacy Status Reporting
• There is no benefit to an operational pharmaceutical supply system if those
in need cannot get or do not know where to get their medications. It is
critical that the general public be able to locate nearby open pharmacies in a
disaster or emergency event.
• To meet this need, Rx Response partnered with the National Council for
Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), as well as the pharmacy
switches/clearinghouses responsible for processing pharmacy payments –
eRx Network (an Emdeon company) and RelayHealth. These partnerships
form the basis of the Emergency Pharmacy Status Reporting tool.
Emergency Pharmacy Status Reporting
• Once a request is made by a state emergency or public health official to
begin pharmacy status reporting, Rx Response requests a list of all NCPDP
pharmacies within an affected disaster area. At the same time, Rx Response
requests that the pharmacy switches/clearinghouses begin providing a daily
list of all pharmacies that are billing within the affected area.
• The data is then merged and filtered to display only those zip codes listed
within disaster declarations. Once the data is processed, Rx Response
displays both a graphical, searchable map and downloadable Excel file of all
known pharmacies (displayed on the map using orange icons), all open
pharmacies (green icons), and any known affected/closed pharmacies (red
icons). The images below show examples of these icons and what the map
may look like if activated for an affected region.
Who might find the Rx Response
Pharmacy Status Reporting Tool useful?
• Anyone who needs medicine in a disaster area
• Emergency rooms, acute care clinics and physicians’ offices for
patient referrals
• Pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers
• Emergency management and public health officials
Can I narrow my search to find a
pharmacy in my neighborhood?
• Yes. Users can narrow their search
by providing information
such as a zip code or street
address within their city, county or
state. The reporting tool will
automatically compile a list of the
nearest open pharmacies based on
the address where a person
is located. The open pharmacy
locations will be provided as an
excel spreadsheet to emergency
managers and in map format
for emergency managers and
consumers on the
RxResponse.org website.
How To Contact Them
• If you cannot find specific information on our website, feel free to send a
request for information to the Rx Response operations center, located at
PhRMA's headquarters in Washington D.C. In addition, feel free to call or
fax the numbers below, or send an email to [email protected].
Rx Response
c/o PhRMA
950 F Street, NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (202) 835-3400
Fax: (202) 835-3414
UWW/AIRS Link Line
1.877.UWA.LINK
1.877.892.5465
Now available to United
Ways and 2-1-1s across
the U.S.,
Canada and throughout
the Caribbean.
United Way Staff
Toll-free CheckIn Number
Presenter:
Jay Wilkes
Manager, Disaster Services
United Way Worldwide
Formerly:
Director, Crisis Preparedness, Response
and Recovery
United Way of the Bay Area
www.linkedin.com/in/jpwilkes
703.836.7112, x239
[email protected]
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DisasterAssistance.gov
helps disaster survivors:
• Find help in Spanish and English for
individuals, family, or business during all stages
of an emergency;
• Learn what help might be available from 17
U.S. Government agencies;
• Have Social Security benefits sent to a new
address;
• Find federal disaster recovery centers near a
current address;
• Get help from the Department of State if
affected by a disaster while living or traveling
outside the U.S;
• Apply online for help from FEMA
• Be referred to the Small Business
Administration for loans
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Resources for Your Readiness
www.Do1Thing.us
•The mission of do1thing is to move individuals, families, organizations,
businesses, and communities to prepare for all hazards and become
disaster resilient.
September - Getting Emergency Information
THE GOAL: Make sure everyone in your household can
receive, understand, and act on information received in an
emergency.
Do One Thing (choose one thing to do this month)
• Purchase an Emergency Alert Radio.
• Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do when outdoor warning sirens
sound.
• Create a personal support network to meet any special needs.
• Create a plan with a neighbor to care for your pets if you can't get home in a disaster.
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Agency Emergency Plan: A Simplified Version for
Community-Based Organizations
A. Disaster Mission Statement:
Make sure you know what role you are
planning to play in a disaster
•Who are you going to be for your clients and
community when disaster strikes?
• Does your current mission statement
encompass how you see your agency
functioning in a disaster?
• Think about your commitments and your
resource limitations and create a disaster
mission statement.
www.sfcard.org
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Agency Emergency Plan: A Simplified Version for
Community-Based Organizations
•D. Volunteers: Make sure you know the best ways to use and work
with volunteers in a disaster
•Know how you will appropriately recruit, task and manage
volunteers.
•1. Are your current volunteers appropriate for disaster related work?
•2. Do your current practices of recruiting or accepting volunteers include
your disaster preparedness and response needs?
•3. What important activities (that keep your organization
able to provide services) can be assigned to spontaneous
volunteers? What activities should not be assigned to
spontaneous volunteers?
•4. What safety and/or legal considerations should you
include in your plan?
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Communicating with Our Partners: Tools for Sustained
Action!
•Flow: You Your Organization Your Community Beyond!
•Transform the entire crisis communication and emergency preparedness
conversation .
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Sample Messaging
STAT - Safety Team Action Tools
5-Minute Messages
Take just five minutes a week to raise the level of
emergency preparedness and safety awareness in your
organization and community organizations you serve.
This Week: Flexing Your Communications Muscles
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Agenda
•United Way of the Bay Area and Hurricane
Gustav
•Learnings from Gustav
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Hurricane Gustav and Its Aftermath
TWO MILLION
EVACUATED
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TWO MILLION EVACUATED
TWO MILLION RETURNED HOME
that’s when the problems started …
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2-1-1 San Francisco Mobilized
UWBA 2-1-1 asked to serve as an overflow call
center
UWBA asked because of
our
– PEOPLE
staff sprang into action
– PLANNING
built emergency capacity
– PARTNERSHIPS
CA Coalition of 2-1-1
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Answering the Call
Tripled our capacity almost overnight
•Transformed conference
room into Hurricane
Gustav call center
•Tripled our capacity
– 7 to 24 phone lines
– Trained 50+ people
•Developed new crisis
protocols
– Simple scripts
– Updates on easel pads
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Lending Assistance to the Gulf
Coast
•1,700 calls at 2-1-1
UWBA
– 40,000 nationwide
•550+ staff hours
on phones
•Call volume spiked
as evacuees
returned home
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What were the top caller needs?
very basic needs
cash, food, shelter, water, transportation
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No infrastructure for returning residents
NO
shelters
NO
sewage
NO
water
NO
food
NO
gas
NO
electricity
shelter locations in New Orleans
only 36 out of 64 perishes
declared a disaster
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The Power of Electricity
Almost 1 Million without power upon return
NO $
power
NO
- No ATMs
- No automatic
deposits –
social security,
unemployment,
paychecks
NO
- No online apps for
services - FEMA
- Prescriptions
NO
- Phone
chargers
N
O
Water
- Electric
pumps
NO
YES –
electrical fires
when power
restored
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After evacuees were allowed to
return home …
how many government
service agencies were
open?
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NONE
no food stamps, social security checks,
unemployment checks
no services for the neediest residents
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How many non-profits were open
as people returned home?
severely underfunded
spent $70M, raised $5M
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Nonprofits not available
Affected by hurricane themselves
No services for hidden populations
• Residents of group living facilities
• Elderly, particularly frail elderly
• People with physical or mental
disabilities
• Low-income households
• Limited English Proficiencies
• Recent immigrants/migrants
• Renters and large households
• Large concentrations of youth
• The homeless
• Tourists and transients
• Single-parent families
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TWO MILLION EVACUATED
TWO MILLION RETURNED HOME
that’s when the problems started
FOCUS on EVACUTION
not RETURN HOME
REACTIVE to KATRINA
not PROACTIVE
WHAT IS EXPECTED
not WHAT IS REQUIRED
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What did we learn?
• Be prepared with a written Emergency Operations Plan;
• Have practice meetings consistently during non-crisis
•
•
•
•
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periods of time;
Partner with other departments in your United Way;
Partner with other organizations – i.e. 2-1-1 Call
Centers, Volunteer Centers, VOAD/COADs, etc.;
Partner with key constituents in the private sector – i.e.
Google for maps, computer vendors, etc.;
Work quickly, stay organized;
Document work – i.e. sign-in lists for volunteers, copies
of trainings, etc.