Mass town plans community bio and medical preparedness | 07.23.2007 | 12:18:55 | Views: 6014 | ID: July 23 '07: The Harvard Post reported that the town has been planning on working to mobilize some of the 6,000 residents to help respond in the event of a bio-terror attack or a pandemic outbreak. "Ken Gikas, of the Region II Emergency Preparedness Coaltion, said he will work with the (Board of Health) to identify and seek out members of the community who are willing to support emergency and bioterrorism preparedness efforts," the Post wrote. Gikas told the board that each town in Massachusetts should work to provide local preparedness solutions and be self sufficient while working in the Health and Homeland Alert Network. "With a population of approximately 6,000 residents, Gikas said, Harvard's goal in the case of an emergency would be to have a minimum of two professionals vaccinating or medicating 80 percent of the population within two days, while operating on 12-hour shifts. Volunteers would respond to the news of an infectious disease outbreak ranging from hepatitis A to meningitis to a flu pandemic or bioterrorist event," the Post reported. First - medical professionals in the community would work with first responders to establish an Emergency Dispensing Site a local community-needs-based site which would be able to set up "within 24 hours of notification; and [be able to treat] 4,800 people within the first 48 hours and the remaining 1,200 over the next 72 hours," the Post wrote.
Copyright ©2007 TheBreakingNews.com. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or full without prior written permission.
|