Dear Future Closed POD Partner:
The Closed Point of Dispensing (POD) Kit was prepared and coordinated by the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) Program. The Strategic National Stockpile is a federally funded program designed to prevent the mass casualty effect of certain biological agents by rapidly distributing antibiotics to all residents believed to be in the affected area within a 48-hour period.
Federal, state and local public health officials have dedicated a number of resources to plan for emergency response scenarios, but in order for us to truly succeed we need both governmental and private sector involvement. Your company’s/organization’s commitment is critical to public health preparedness in your local health district.
As a Closed POD Partner, your staff or volunteers will be asked to dispense antibiotics to all employees. You are free to choose how you will dispense the medication to your employee population.
The process has been organized into six simple steps.
1.)Become a Closed POD Partner
2.)Create a dispensing plan (guidance documents will be provided)
3.)Event Notification (if there is ever an event)
4.)Medication Receipt
5.)Dispensing
6.)Follow up with your local health district
Your commitment to preparedness signifies your commitment to our community and to saving lives. If you have any questions about this information, or would like to pursue this partnership with public health, please feel free to contact Kamille McCormick @ 404-730-1572.
Regards,
Leticia A. Mathis
SNS Program Administrator
GA Department of Community Health
Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / PAGE4POINTS OF DISPENSING: OPEN POINTS OF DISPENSING & CLOSED POINTS OF DISPENSING / PAGE 5
BENEFITS OF BEING A CLOSED POINT OF DISPENSING / PAGE 7
PUBLIC HEALTH’S RESPONSIBILITIES / PAGE 12
PARTNER AGENCY’S RESPONSIBILITES / PAGE 13
DISPENSING DIAGRAM / PAGE 14
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS / PAGE 19
CONCLUSION / PAGE 21
CONTACTS / PAGE 22
NEXT STEPS / PAGE 23
Executive Summary
Since 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided special funding for the Cities Readiness Initiative through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement. CRI is a collaborative effort designed to increase public health preparedness. The goal is to save lives by developing the capacity within local jurisdictions to rapidly dispense medication to the entire population within 48 hours given a public health emergency.
In order for preparedness efforts to succeed, there must be comprehensive planning at all levels of government and the identification of the most efficient use of resources. In the event of a catastrophic health event state, local, and territorial governments must be ready to respond in a rapid and decisive manner. The federal government will need to be equally responsive in their ability to provide surge capacity in the form of technical assistance, pharmaceuticals and medical materiel. But, in order to be fully successful, private business and local communities will have to engage in collaborative planning and emergency response efforts also.
Many state and local public health planners are forming partnerships with businesses and various organizations throughout their communities asking them to volunteer and take on part of the responsibility of dispensing medications to their employees, and the employee’s family members, during a health emergency. In many cases, public health agencies are asking businesses to become their own points of dispensing (PODs) that are closed to the general public, commonly referred to as “closed” or “private” PODs.
Becoming a Closed POD in your community benefits all involved. The arrangement is attractive to businesses because it allows them to better protect their employees, and their employees’ families, during a public health emergency and shows their commitment to the community. It is equally beneficial to the department of health because it allows health agencies to gain assistance in meeting lofty preparedness goals.
POINTS OF DISPENSING: OPEN POINTS OF
DISPENSING & CLOSED POINTS OF DISPENSING
The ability to dispense medical countermeasures to affected populations quickly and efficiently is crucial following a catastrophic health event. Local authorities are working diligently to build the capacity to dispense medication to their entire populations within 48 hours.
Working with many different community partners and agencies, local public health departments are using innovative ways to reach their populations within this 48-hour window. The methods used in planning fall into two categories: pull and push.
Pull methods. Pull methods encourage the general public to come to identified locations at common areas within the community to receive medications. These locations usually consist of fixed facilities such as schools, arenas, or other public buildings and are most often referred to as Open or Public PODs.
Push methods. Push methods are primarily designed to enhance the dispensing capability through alternate dispensing options. A Closed or Private POD is one example of a push method. The goal is to use the resources of partner organizations to dispense medication more quickly and reduce the number of people who have to go to the Open POD. Medications are “pushed” or delivered to partner organizations such as private businesses, universities, or large organizations and these partner organizations in turn provide the medication to their designated population.
Closed PODs will play an important role in any situation where it is necessary to provide emergency medications. Traditional medical providers, such as hospitals and medical clinics, will likely be overwhelmed during a large-scale public health emergency. OpenPODs will also be highly stressed in a situation where the entire population needs to be given medications in a short time frame.
Closed PODs will help relieve some of the pressure on Open PODS by reaching specific portions of the community. As a result, long lines and public anxiety can be reduced and resources can be used more efficiently.
Closed PODs can also help organizations ensure that their employees are protected, and therefore are able to continue working and/or return to work more quickly. Employees will feel secure in knowing that their organization is willing to take the “extra step” to ensure that they and their families are taken care of during a public health emergency. As employees feel more confident in the steps your organization has taken to protect them, they will likely feel an increased sense of commitment and loyalty.
Ultimately, the need to serve the public and keep your organization running during a public health emergency is significant. Partnering with your local health district to become a Closed POD is crucial in protecting the health of your employees and your community while enabling recovery efforts on a local, regional and national scale.
Closed PODs provide:
- Ease of access to life-saving medications
- Quick dispensing of medications to your employees and their families
- Enhanced continuity of business operations
The following questions will help you determine whether your company or organization has the capabilities needed to function as a Closed POD After completing this questionnaire, you’ll have a better idea of what your business can and can not do to dispense medication in an emergency. Your management team should discuss these questions and answers with your area CRI Volunteer Coordinator.
How Many Doses of Medication Will Be Needed?
How many people does your business employ?
Full Time ______
Part Time ______
Contract ______
Seasonal ______
TOTAL Number of Employees ______
How many family members will you serve?
TOTAL Number of Employees ______
Multiplied by 2.5 ______
TOTAL Number of Family Members ______
How many doses will your company need?
TOTAL Number of Employees______
Plus TOTAL Number of Family Members ______
TOTAL AMOUNT OF DOSES NEEDED ______
Who Will Dispense the Medication?
____ On-staff medical professional (nurse, doctor, or pharmacist)
____ Contract medical professional
Where Will You Dispense Medication?
Does your facility have a large space to conduct dispensing operations, such as a large conference room, auditorium or cafeteria? Yes or No
How Will You Handle the Paperwork?
Would your company/organization be willing to collect additional information (related to emergency dispensing) from your employees PRIOR to an actual event? Yes or No
If you answered Yesto the above questions, how would you maintain/update those records?
____ Use current employees records system
____ Develop a separate, dedicated system
____ Other ______
How Will You Manage the Event?
Has your company/organization identified a Command Staff/Crisis Management Team? Yes or No
If you answered Yes to the above question, will this team be responsible for planning, exercising and commanding all aspects of your dispensing operation?
Do you have security measure in place at your facility, such as security personnel; limited or controlled access; and/or surveillance to protect the medications and control access to the site? Yes or No
Will your Command Staff/Crisis Management Team utilize the Incident Command System?Yes or No
Have team members completed basic ICS training (ICS-100, 200 and 700)? Yes or No
Has your Command Staff/Crisis Management participated in a disaster exercise? Yes or No
Will your company/organization provide pre-event education to your employees about your dispensing plans? Yes or No
Would you be able to provide your local health district with a breakdown of the counties in which your employees reside? Yes or No
PUBLIC HEALTH’S RESPONSIBILITIES
The Georgia Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response and your local health district will work hand and hand with your organization to ensure you have the needed information and resources to establish a Closed POD. As with all preparedness activities the more we communicate and exercise our response plans now, the better we will respond if an emergency were to occur.
Georgia Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response and your local health district Responsibilities:
- Provide pre-event planning and technical assistance, including but not limited to policies, procedures, POD layouts, fact sheets, dispensing diagrams, forms and other pertinent information to successfully operate a Closed POD.
- Provide Closed POD specific training/education opportunities to identified staff in your company/organization.
- Provide medications during an emergency.
- Provide 24-hour emergency contact information for Georgia Division of Emergency Preparedness & Response and your local health district points of contact.
- Provide your company/organization with guidance regarding Closed POD activities including but not limited to, dosing instructions, follow-up procedures and releasable information regarding a public health emergency.
- Provide your company/organization with technical assistance and oversight as needed during the public health emergency.
- Notify your company/organization of the need to activate their Closed POD plan.
- Provide media guidance during a public health emergency to ensure consistency of messages to the media.
- Make arrangements to collect any unused medications as well as copies of all medical documentation.
PARTNER AGENCY’S RESPONSIBILITIES
Your local health district will help you prepare to establish a Closed POD, but there are steps you must take to ensure the proper plans are in place to establish and operate a Closed POD efficiently.
Your Responsibilities:
- Designate staff to work with your local health district in planning for the operation of a Closed POD.
- Provide primary and secondary 24-hour emergency points of contact to ensure timely notification and activation of your Closed POD during a public health emergency.
- Develop a Closed POD Plan and provide a copy and periodic updates to your local health district.
- Identify Closed POD or dispensing locations for your company/organization.
- Dispense medications following guidance provided by your local health district during an emergency.
- Participate in predetermined and agreed upon training and exercise opportunities provided by your local health district.
DISPENSING DIAGRAM
Both Open and Closed PODs include at minimum:
- Stations for screening and collecting basic medical information
- Areas that educate patients about potential threatening diseases and provides information on preventative drugs
- Designated areas for dipensing medications
The typical dispensing flow is as follows:
Georgia Division of Public Health/your local health district will provide example POD designs and assist you with designing a floor plan specific to your designated space and employee population that accomplishes the necessary POD functions.
CLOSED POD REGISTRY
The concept of the Closed POD registry is to pre-identify businesses that can dispense medications to groups of people. Closed POD Partners are critical in emergencies because they reduce the demand on public dispensing sites and contribute to an effective emergency response.
By participating in the Closed POD Registry, you will provide a valuable service to your
employees, their families, and the overall community. By participating you will increase the likelihood that your employees will come to work, thus improving your company’s ability to continue to function.
Everyone should know the following:
Medications can prevent disease.
Your local health district will make antibiotic pills free and easily available to everyone in FultonCounty who needs them.
Your local health district will open emergency public dispensing sites all over the county to dispense medications.
How the Closed POD Registry Works
Step One- Join the Closed POD Registry
Step Two- Create a dispensing plan.The Dispensing Plan Template provided will assist you in developing your own organization’s dispensing plan.
Once a Public Health emergency requiring the dispensing of medication has been declared, you will be notified by your local health district, to activate your Closed POD. You can also check for a message indicating activation on the . Upon activation you will begin to follow the procedures outlined in your dispensing plan. We will use the contact information provided on your registration form. Please make sure that you keep our records up-to-date when changes occur within your organization. You can fill out a Change of Information form available on the , or your local health district.
Your organization will be assigned to an employee in your health district who is responsible for facilitating, inventorying, and supporting a number of Closed POD companies during the emergency. You will be given contact information upon activation of the registry.
Delivery or Pick up medication
You will be notified where and when medications are available for pick up or will be dropped off to your site. A site will be designated for Closed POD Partners to receive medications and necessary forms. A pre-designated amount of antibiotics for your organization is determined by the information provided on your registration form.
Dispense medication
Set up your distribution operation, assemble materials, communicate with your employees and clients, screen for contraindications, and dispense medication.
Follow up
Your local health district will provide your assigned Supervisor with scheduled status updates of your organization’s dispensing operation. Return completed client screening forms and any unopened, left over medication toyour local health district after you have completed dispensing the medications.
DISPENSING PLAN GUIDANCE
Your local health district will supply you with a template and guidance documents to assist you with preparing your organization dispensing plan that addresses your organization’s specific needs. Each organization is unique in the number and type of its employees and in its business operations and/or the type of services offered and clients served. All of these factors will affect how you dispense medications to your employees and their families.
Using the template and guidance documents your organization’s plan will describe how you will prepare your organization to dispense medications.
Your plan should include:
- Your Closed POD Coordinator and two backup coordinators.
- Define whom you will give medication.
A Communications Plan-before, during and after an emergency-within your organization, to your employees, and with your assigned Supervisor.
How you will prepare to receive and dispense medications.
Receiving and managing inventory.
The company’s screening process for and dispensing medications
How much is it going to cost? / Medications and training are free of charge.
Will there be training provided? / Yes. SNS 101 and POD Management
When would businesses be asked to dispense medications at their own facility? / The only time the health department would ask businesses to dispense medications to employees and their families would be if there is a great risk to the entire population and preventive medications need to be taken immediately.
Who operates the POD? / Employees within your organization will operate the POD with oversight from the department of health.
Will people be allowed to pick up medications for their families? / Yes, employees will be allowed to pick up medications for their families.
How will medication be packaged? / The medication will be packaged for individual use and will be taken orally. Appropriate dosage instructions will accompany each bottle of medication.
Who needs to take the medication? / Under this type of emergency, the entire population within our community will need to take the medication. This includes adults and children. Appropriate dosage instructions will accompany each bottle of medication that is dispensed at the Closed POD
What about pets? / The medications provided at the Closed POD are for humans only.
What about employees who telework or commute long distances to and from work? / As a Closed POD, expect to provide medications to all employees and their families, realizing that long distance commuters may choose to go to an Open/Public POD closer to their home.
Is it possible that our business will need to operate a closed POD after-hours, during the weekend, or on a holiday? / Public health emergencies can occur at any time. It is essential that your organization be prepared to operate a Closed POD during non-working hours since your employee’s health will be at risk if medications are delayed.
Is this legal? What if someone gets hurt or has a reaction to the medicine? / Yes. Public health officials depend on volunteers to assist during public health emergencies. Participating as a Closed POD is a voluntary program and there are various laws and statutes applicable to liability protection. We will be happy to review the liability protections afforded to your organization under federal law as well as Georgia statutes.