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Flu clinic, training exercise planned Nov. 19
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By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter
| 10/21/2009 |
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Officials are planning to hold a flu vaccination clinic and H1N1 pandemic training exercise on Nov. 19 in Madison if the area receives its allocation of flu vaccine on schedule. Don Thomson, Lake County emergency management director, told members of the Local Emergency Planning Committee on Wednesday morning (today) that state and local health officials want to set up a point of distribution center at the Dakota Prairie Playhouse in Madison. The one-day exercise has immunizations scheduled from 1-8 p.m.
The training would coincide with inoculations against the latest variants of seasonal flu and H1N1 virus that have appeared in the United States.
"The plan is to test the distribution system that the county has prepared, just in case we experience what could happen during an epidemic," Thomson said.
According to Thomson, persons belonging to priority groups would probably receive inoculations on Nov. 19, partly because delays have occurred in the delivery of this year's flu vaccines. Priority groups include children and young adults from 2 to 24 years old, health-care and emergency medical personnel, and pregnant women.
Thomson and Fire Chief Jerry Johnson, LEPC chairman, also asked members for their input on training in which the county could spend Homeland Security grant money.
The state decided to return to South Dakota counties the grant money which it requested earlier this year. However, local recipients of the grant money are required to spend 25 percent on emergency training before they can spend the remaining 75 percent on other needs, such as equipment.
Members suggested sessions for emergency medical technician training and instruction on high-angle rescue methods. High-angle rescues involve incidents in which First Responders have to deal with steep terrain. Johnson and Thomson asked for additional suggestions before the grant application deadline of Nov. 11.
Johnson also proposed that the committee investigate having emergency calls sent out to volunteers via cell phone text messages, as well as through emergency pagers. He said that each method of alerting First Responders had its good and bad qualities. However, emergency personnel would have a greater choice and more flexibility with added text messaging for emergency calls.
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