Native American health officials say technology helped to prepare for pandemic | 02.06.2007 | 07:26:43 | Views: 5587 | ID: February 6 '07: Real-time information sharing, situational awareness and established communications lines have helped Navajo emergency officials prepare for a possible flu pandemic, Government Computer News reported. That kind of preparedness allowed tribal health officials to vaccinate more than 24,000 in one day - the largest in the U.S.. Tribal officials credited the online Incident Management System from Send Word Now Communications "that acted like a command center to centralize the communication flow among the locations, keeping first responders in touch," GCN reported according to information from Dean Ross, the Indian Health Services' deputy director of emergency services. Ross told GCN, "The most important aspect is that (the technology) creates a common operating picture, which provides an atmosphere where senior leadership can make decisions in an informed manner." During the one day vaccination drill, tribal officials from Arizona, New Mexico, three counties, federal agencies and the Navajo Nation Division of Health participated in using the Incident Management System. The exercise went so well that IHS officials are planning a nation-wide drill later this year, GCN reported.
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