# 5316
While the pandemic of 2009 has receded, many government agencies, public and private organizations, and individuals continue to work to prepare for the next global disease outbreak.
There are hundreds of toolkits available for free, online, to help communities and organizations prepare. Every few months I endeavor to highlight them.
One of the best resources available is undoubtedly CIDRAP’s Promising Practices Website.
If you are interested in starting a community preparedness or response program - or one for a college or university - rather than re-inventing the wheel, a visit to this website could save you and your organization a lot of time, money, and aggravation.
The website welcome describes the site this way:
Promising Practices offers you more than 330 tools, practices, and strategies that have been used by public health and others to prepare or respond to an influenza pandemic. Materials represent work from 45 US states, including more than 65 cities and counties and now, colleges and universities.
The Promising Practices collection has just expanded to include higher education, in cooperation with the universities that compose the Big 10+2, and with support from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). The "Higher Ed" category already has more than 30 practices for colleges and universities to use, and collection is ongoing from all colleges and universities (see press release).
Created before the novel H1N1 influenza pandemic to enhance preparedness, Promising Practices now also features useful response activities. State and local health departments, as well as colleges and universities, are sharing their successes. By highlighting this quality work, Promising Practices aims to help conserve resources and strengthen preparedness and response activities.
A small sampling of some recently posted resources includes:
New Approach to Translation Helps Minnesota Respond to H1N1 (MN)
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic prompted the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to design an innovative process to help planners determine which languages to translate and how many... >> More
Evaluation of H1N1 Vaccination Clinics Highlights Leadership Role of School Nurses (ME)
As part of Maine's efforts to evaluate H1N1 response, the University of Southern Maine (USM) Muskie School of Public Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)... >> More
Antiviral Distribution for the Control of H1N1 (TX)
Building new partnerships, including with large retail chains, helped Texas dramatically expand its options for distributing antiviral medications during the 2009 H1N1 influenza... >> More
H1N1 Strategic Outreach Campaign (CA)
The Kern County Public Health Services (KCPHS) launched a prevention campaign in June 2009 to "minimize confusion, misinformation and potential hysteria" about H1N1 pandemic flu. The... >> More
Two state organizations in Maine worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the effects of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) monovalent (2009 H1N1)... >> More
During the H1N1 pandemic, the University of Michigan developed policies and practices around provision of alcohol-free hand sanitizer. In April 2009, the University of Michigan was... >> More
The University of Michigan began planning for an influenza pandemic 3 to 4 years ago. At the time, planners noticed that there was a lack of clear guidelines about the storage and use... >> More
Healthcare Systems and Public Health Collaborate on Free Vaccine Clinics (SD)
Competing healthcare systems in South Dakota worked together for several months to offer free H1N1 vaccine to the public. Avera Health and Sanford Health are two large healthcare... >> More
In 2008, after nearly a year of consultation with community leaders, the HHS released a series of pandemic preparedness toolkits which I highlighted in Pandemic Toolkits: You Don't Have To Start From Scratch.
You’ll find You can download all of the HHS toolkits from the Take The Lead webpage.
You’ll find factsheets, checklists, sample emails, and other resources already designed, and ready for use.
As you will see, the HHS wants, and is encouraging, community involvement and community action.
The King County-Seattle Health Department has produced a remarkable teaching aid, a 12-page comic book available in 8 languages, on pandemic influenza.
You may download and print out this resource, or you can order copies (outside of Washington State, order from National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)).
Preparedness comic book in multiple languages
Public Health - Seattle & King County has developed a 12-page comic book on pandemic flu in multiple languages. Targeting readers of all ages, this story tells the tale of a family's experience with the 1918 influenza pandemic. It also explains what to expect in a severe pandemic and offers tips to help households prepare.
NOTE: At the time this comic book was written, no vaccine was available for a pandemic. However, vaccine development for H1N1 is currently in development and is expected to be available in the fall of 2009. This publication was created in anticipation of a severe pandemic similar to the one in 1918. The H1N1 pandemic is not expected to be this severe.
Due to limited quantities, we can only grant requests for this publication to street addresses in King County, WA State.
One of the private groups I've highlighted in the past, the READYMOMS, have prepared a terrific selection of free, downloadable, toolkits that can help you create a display like the one below they have used at medical conventions and conferences.
While they have a couple of dozen resources, their ReadyMoms Alliance brochure (pdf trifold, legal size ie 8.5in x 14in) is a particularly effective handout (screenshots below), and can be reproduced (b/w, double sided,tri-folded) for less than 10 cents apiece in quantity by many commercial printers.
Although things are relatively quiet in the novel flu world right now, it isn’t too soon to begin figuring out how we will deal with the next pandemic that rolls down the pike.
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