CHC undergoes refresher on pandemic response

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Program just finished hosting a two-day seminar on CHCC Strategic National Stockpile at the Azucena Room of the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan in Garapan.

The workshop on Feb. 27-28 tackled the roles and responsibilities of PHEPP partners such as the Commonwealth Ports Authority, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Homeland Security, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting, and CHCC and Public Health staff in the event of a national emergency involving bioterrorism or pandemic.

According to Warren Villagomez, PHEPP director and SNS coordinator for the CNMI, the SNS has the capability to supplement and re-supply through the Centers for Disease Control.

“SNS is a federal asset under the custody of the Centers for Disease Control and those assets varies when you put in a request on significant emergencies or outbreaks. When we put in a request, CDC determines the importance of the request and how it is carried out,” he said.

“It is a significant component of the Emergency Preparedness Program and that’s why we try to engage with our partners annually…SNS tabletop workshop is every other year and full scale every three years. We also try to cross-cut on full exercises to integrate other training components [and] other possible disaster that the CNMI could be impacted on,” he added.

Villagomez said the SNS tabletop workshop for the CNMI Emergency Preparedness Program for government and non-government agencies grow every year.

“It is an ongoing training. …We have to keep updated as there’s a lot of things going on around the region and globally,” Villagomez said.
“All these updates and activities in the workshop evolve on situations that are current and significant to people such as the scenario of pandemic influenza… It’s a good scenario because we see it in the news in the region and stateside, we encounter it and people may have it or have had it, that is why it is relatable,” Villagomez added.

Influenza is just one topic but it covers different layers of potential threats.

Janice McMichael from Georgia is facilitating the two-day seminar and dispensing or distribution of medications will also be tackled.

“We are going to talk about open and closed points of dispensing and the steps to set up and staff a point of dispensing and what the individual’s role would be in that scenario,” she added

“I think the key is to train and inform as many people as possible to be responders. It is always important to have a written plan for people to have something to go by,” she added.

Villagomez said that disseminating information is part of PHEPP’s commitment.

“We encourage the public to stay informed and aware,” he said.

For more information, call CHCC at 234-8950 and ask for PHEPP.