Making it happen for all AmericansI’d like to refer back to HHS’s stated goal on pandemic preparedness: “to help as many Americans as possible to understand that the threat of a pandemic influenza is real and to actively engage in personal preparedness.” That’s an appropriate goal and this blog and the summit have been an innovative approach. My sincere thanks to Secretary Leavitt, Admiral Agwunobi and their team at HHS for organizing this effort, and for the many partners who have contributed posts and comments. We’ve covered a lot of ground. But before this summit concludes, I want to underscore the importance of making sure we include all Americans in our planning and outreach in order to “help as many Americans as possible.” We may be too quick to dismiss the most vulnerable among us: “They’re unreachable, or they’re too difficult to identify, engage or motivate. They don’t have the resources.” This sets us up to fail. Vulnerable populations are woven into the fabric of the community, and we can’t expect to fully engage and strengthen a community in pandemic preparedness without reaching across all its threads. HHS’s “symphony” approach that Stephanie Marshall refers to http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/?p=70 is on target, and among the critical orchestral sections are our nontraditional partners — churches, schools and PTAs, community organizations and soup kitchens — along with health departments. These institutions know the community perhaps best, understand the unique challenges each community faces and already have programs in place working with those who are most vulnerable. From my own experience working with state and local health departments, these agencies have existing, robust programs in the communities — chronic disease programs, HIV outreach, maternal and child health programs — on which we can piggyback. Low-income mothers and children coming in for nutrition education through the WIC program can be referred to a preparedness class. Seniors being screened for high blood pressure or prostate or colon cancer can be handed culturally appropriate preparedness brochures. Parents bringing their infants in for newborn immunizations or adults getting their seasonal flu shots can also learn about the importance of preparing for pandemic flu. There may be jurisdictional hurdles to overcome, but HHS and state http://www.astho.org/ and local http://www.naccho.org/ health officials are well placed to identify solutions. My point is, we already know who these people are and in many instances, we’re already reaching them through existing programs. We can expand our impact in the community by buttressing these existing programs and including pandemic preparedness as a key component. It is doable. Some infrastructure is already in place and, most importantly, there’s already a great deal of interaction and trust.Again, I thank HHS for their leadership and for organizing this summit, and I encourage all of us in our efforts to ensure that all Americans are prepared.
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Thank you, Dr. Benjamin, for your wise counsel. Resilient communities are the goal; personal prep is the “put your own oxygen mask on first so you can help others” part of the message.
I agree there is infrastructure to be used, if there is the will to use it. The things you mention are very do-able and part of ‘making it happen’, but won’t happen without the institutional signal to go forward. HHS or WH, governor or DPH, someone has to say “do this, it is a good and desirable thing to do”. We await that message, and should plan what to do with or without it.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 1:10 pmDr. Benjamin,
Well put. It is their choice not ours. No one should assume “They’re unreachable, or they’re too difficult to identify, engage or motivate. They don’t have the resources.”
What they do is up to them. I believe most will join in. Even rival gangs may put off killing till things get back to normal.
I worry about food banks. They do not seem to get the freshest items but those near their expiration date. As the pandemic happens donations to soup kitchens and food banks will dwindle.
The deaf, mentally challenged, shut ins and handicapped are often forgotten.
Worse, the deaf have few they can talk to. They can not just call a doctor, nurse or 9-1-1 for help.
Reach all people.
Can we reach all 6 billion of us? Numerically yes. “There is only five degrees of separation.” as the saying goes.
One world - one message.
Regards,
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 1:27 pmKobie
Dr. Benjamin,
I have been volunteering for a long time in working at a Homeless Shelter. I have tried my best to bring Pandemic Awareness to the Shelter’s Administration and also the Interfaith Council decision makers.
I have shared with them the excellent King County plan which has incorporated plans for the Homeless.So far no one has even read the copies I gave them.
When I ask questions they refer me to the County Plan. The County refers me to the State plan.
I share your concern for vulnerable populations but I fear we may need a top down, official approach, to prepare populations such as this that clearly follow the Federal/State and city mandates.
Thank you for your participation in this project and for the important voice you have brought to the table.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 1:47 pmGeorges,
The below comments are my own and do not represent anyone else’s.
I believe your position of “help as many Americans as possible” is correct. However, if you exam the plans and strategies laid out to date. The strategies are a measure response of the few for the few. The “hole-is-on-your-side-of-the-boat” philosophy will not work in a flu pandemic. It will take heroic efforts to remove these flawed ideas from the plans and strategies that have been developed or are being developed.
To be clear, the six month timetable for vaccine production is absurd. Also, it undermines the credibility that you’re the right ones to tackle this problem. Any vaccine production approach that doesn’t work in six-days is NOT innovative enough.
Common Sense>
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 1:51 pmDr. Benjamin,
Thank you for your contribution. In keeping with the theme, “Helping as many Americans as possible”,
Could we take advantage of the current electronic boards nationwide to help educate on pandemic preparedness?
I just read today in the Jersey Journal that they will be using the City Hall Electronic Board to post pandemic messages in the future.
“Get Pandemic Ready Now” (on a highway electronic board) — with a redirect to pandemicflu.gov might be able to help as many Americans as possible —
Let’s make it happen this summer — “For All Americans.”
Best Regards,
Argyll.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 4:33 pmVirginia
Dr. Benjamin
I am so glad to see you post again and to hear your concern for the poor in facing this pandemic.
I too have the same concerns.
It seems that it may be impossible for a large percentage of our population to simple “hide it out and ride it out” until the pandemic has passed, or until we have enough vaccines and antivirals to cover our entire population.
So — what’s the plan? If large numbers of people (including especially the poor, who already lack access to health care on a good day) are infected with “massively fatal” pandemic flu (which we realize is a possibilty), do we have alternate treatment for them, aside from Tamiflu, which may be in short supply or may not work at all?
Is our government doing all it can possibly do to research, develop and provide alternative treatment for pandemic flu?
I see that we as a nation have spent or will spend BILLIONS on pandemic vaccines and antivirals, and that is great. However, will it be enough?
We are constantly being told, “no vaccines for at least 6 months and probably not enough even then – and antivirals may not work or may be in short supply”.
I am only guessing here that the poorest cities and towns may well not be stockpiling ANY Tamiflu for their population; why stockpile it, if it may not work?
So my question remains, for the poorest areas who will be hard hit by pandemic flu – what other options for medical treatment will there be?
On these flu boards, especially www.newfluwiki2.com and www.singtomeohmuse.c… over the past year, I have seen references to other possibile treatments that may be out there – prednisolone, statins, blood transfusions, even — must be more I didn’t pay attention to.
I’m just confused, is all.
If we’ve known for over 2 years or more that “VACCINES will not be availabe for at least 6 months, and ANTIVIRALS may not work and will in any event be in short supply” then — are we looking into and promoting alternative measures for treatment?
I am especially interested in hearing that people are looking into the possibility of prednisolone — NOT prednisone, and administered EARLY in small doses — for treatment. The treatment, if it works, would cost pennies per does, and even the poorest could afford to stockpile some.
Dr. Benjamin, would you consider looking into prednisolone research, as a possible treatment to the fatal cytokine storm associated with H5N1? It seems like a cheap enough medication that could be stockpiled by local health officials, for even the very poorest of the poor.
www.singtomeohmuse.c…
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 5:20 pmDear Dr. Benjamin,
Thank you so much for your call to us to make sure that no one is “left behind” in the wake of a pandemic. Tracy Kidder’s book about Dr. Paul Farmer, “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” shows us that even in the most impoverished country in our hemisphere (Haiti), women and men can reach out to their friends, relatives and neighbors and assist them, improving both their health and their lives. Dr. Farmer’s statistics (in his numerous articles) demonstrate that these neighborhood leaders often produce more positive outcomes than our high-tech clinics in the US.
Yes, the federal, state and local government needs to do all it can. Yes, hospitals and out-patient services need to both educate and prepare. Yes, the media nees to get the word out, without undue sensationalism. Yes, faith-based organizations need to galvanize their communities to respond in their own neighborhoods. And yes, individual persons need to take responsibility for themselves and their families by making choices directed toward preparedness AND the common good. The important thing is that none of these efforts, alone, will be sufficient. But together, they can.
This blog has been an excellent beginning, but there is much work before us.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 5:27 pmThe only worse thing than telling everyone to prepare and having most of them scared and some of them refuse (or be unable) to prepare is not telling everyone to prepare and having many of them die.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 5:59 pmDHHS - TELL THE TRUTH TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT H5N1.
It’s time.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 7:25 pmACM (Post#6)
I share your concerns. Even if antivirals or vaccines are avilable the rising food prices and the lack of food donations bothers me.
If Pandemic hits other places we could see high fuel costs. The poor are less likely to be able to heat their homes.
Love your idea of the Traffic sign. Not everyone has a computer. Even to get a billboard space donated. Simple black and white message. Remeber the billboards with one line message from God? Very successful.
Sister Talone,
There are stories that ER rooms fill up when the weather gets bad and empty out on warm summer days when it is nice.
Open places where homeless and poor can congrigate would keep them out of the hospital. If people can do it in Hati then people can do it here. They can reach out and help each other.
Regards
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 8:18 pmKobie
“After all we have done - we are still just beginnig” - a thought
Thank you very much for remembering the vulnerable populations within the United States.
It is important to remember that each and every one us is as only as prepared as our next door neighbor. Each and every community is only as prepared as its neigboring community.
Without addressing all populations of the U.S., not just those who peruse government websites for fun, in regards to the severe risks and collateral issues surrounding even a mild pandemic, we are in effect, handicapping what little effort has been successful.
As a community leader who has been working with vulnerable populations and trying to spread the message regarding the need to prepare each individual, family and neighborhood, I can tell you that without the top-down mass educational media blitz, I am getting nowhere. I am sure that I am planting seeds of thoughts in people as we disuss the various aspects of becoming more prepared, but since this is not reinforced by local, state and federal officials, repeatedly with urgency, other day to day pressing needs take over. We have to make this the pressing need.
Food pantries, health clinics, social workers, WIC, homeless shelters, etc… need to be able to assist their clients and they need to do it now, before a pandemic breaks out. These agencies, faith based organizations and grassroots organizations are already stretched to the limit. They too will suffer from an estimated 40% absenteeism rate. They will be disproportionately affected by school and daycare closures. OSHA Pandemic guide says that employers are not to bring their children to work if alternative child care arrangments can not be made. They will not have PPE and prophalactic antivirals in order to work with the most vulnerable populations after a pandemic breaks out.
Many of these organizations will try to do as much as they can, but they will not be able to do the work that the federal government is charging them with doing with the much greater need that will exist after a pandemic breaks out.
So what do we do? We tell everyone now the truth. We tell them that not only will the government not be able to help them when a pandemic breaks out, but that local organizations can not be the panacea either. There is no panacea, only mitigation and that mitigation starts with the individual, the family unit right now.
Thank you again for remembering the vulnerable populations. Everyone is vulnerable to a pandemic virus, in more ways than one.
Posted June 26th, 2007 at 9:24 pmAverage Concerned Mom: The use of gluccocorticoids has not shown to offer any benefit in the acute stages of ARDS, though later use in the fibro-proliferative stage may improve long term lung function in survivors. Use of steroids in early HK-SAR (97) and Vietnam cases showed no benefits.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 4:53 amHere is FEMA’s new Advisory Council. If HHS, CDC, and PR associates will not get the pandemic risk communicated to the public, perhaps FEMA can.
I am going to contact each and every person on this council, and give up on HHS and CDC.
www.fema.gov/news/ne…
FEMA Announces Membership Of National Advisory Council
Release Date: June 19, 2007
Release Number: HQ-07-129
» En Español
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator David Paulison today announced the membership of the National Advisory Council.
The council advises the Administrator of FEMA on all aspects of preparedness and emergency management in an effort to ensure close coordination with its partners across the country.
“These experts in the field of emergency preparedness and response will bring new and unique perspective to the Department,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “We welcome their service and look forward to their valuable contributions and innovative ideas in emergency management.”
“The men and women nominated to serve on the National Advisory Council are recognized experts across the range of emergency management disciplines,” said Administrator Paulison. “Their extensive knowledge and diverse points of view will be a great asset as they advise us on how we can best respond to natural and manmade disasters together.”
The development of the National Advisory Council was set into motion by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. Members are appointed by the Administrator and represent a geographic and significant cross section of officials from emergency management and law enforcement, and include homeland security directors, adjutants general, emergency response providers from state, local, and tribal governments, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.
The Council is being instituted to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of the federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters. Specifically, the Council will focus attention in the development and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies.
The Council intends to hold quarterly meetings each year. Pending final approval of disclosure forms that must by law be submitted by certain appointees, the first meeting is expected to be convened this fall.
Proposed Membership:
CATEGORY: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
* Dr. G. Kemble “Kem” Bennett (TX) - Vice Chancellor for Engineering and Dean of the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.
* Joseph Bruno (NY) - Commissioner of the New York City Office of Emergency Management
* Albert Ashwood (OK) - Director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management & President of the National Emergency Management Association
CATEGORY: EMERGENCY RESPONSE
* Stephen Cassidy (NY) - President of the Uniformed Firefighters Assoc. of Greater New York.
* Kurt Krumperman (AZ) - Corporate Senior Vice President for Rural/Metro Corporation, the second largest provider of emergency and non-emergency ambulance services in the U.S.
* Cathey Eide (CA) - Special Programs Coordinator for the Oakland Fire Department, EMS Division.
CATEGORY: PUBLIC HEALTH
* Dr. Christina Lynn Catlett (DC) - Executive Director of The George Washington University Center for Emergency Preparedness & Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, George Washington University Hospital.
CATEGORY: EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROVIDER
* Angelia Mary Elgin, R.N. (MO) - Instructor at the IHM Health Studies Center, St. Louis Community College, Fire Academy; Licensed, Registered Professional Nurse, St. Louis University Hospital; Firefighter/ Paramedic, University City Fire Department
CATEGORY: HEALTH SCIENTIST
* Dr. Kenneth Miller (CA) - Medical Director of the Orange County Fire Authority; Assistant Medical Director of the Orange County Healthcare Agency/Emergency Medical Services; Co-Director of the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine EMS & Disaster Medical Sciences Fellowship
CATEGORY: IN-PATIENT MEDICAL PROVIDER
* Dr. Robert Gougelet (NH) - Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
CATEGORY: STANDARDS SETTING
* Robert Connors (MA) - Director of Preparedness for Raytheon Company.
* James Paturas (CT) - Deputy Director of the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response.
CATEGORY: INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
* Ann Beauchesne (DC) - Executive Director, Homeland Security Division, of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
CATEGORY: CYBER SECURITY
* Phillip Reitinger (WA) - Critical Infrastructure Protection Team with Microsoft Corp.
CATEGORY: COMMUNICATIONS
* David Barron (DC) - Assistant Vice President (Retired) for Federal Relations/National Security at the BellSouth (ATT) Corporation.
CATEGORY: DISABILITIES
* Hilary Styron (DC) - Director of the Emergency Preparedness Initiative within the National Organization on Disability.
CATEGORY: SPECIAL NEEDS
* Irene Collins (AL) - Executive Director of the Alabama Department of Senior Services.
CATEGORY: STATE GOVERNMENT
* John William “Bill” Libby (ME) - Major General and Adjutant General and Commissioner of Defense for the State of Maine.
CATEGORY: LOCAL GOVERNMENT
* Susanne Torriente (FL) - Chief of Staff and Assistant County Manager for Public Safety, Information and Technology, for Miami-Dade County.
CATEGORY: TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
* Charles Kmet (AZ) - Emergency Management Administrator for the Tohono O’Dham Department of Public Safety.
CATEGORY: STATE ELECTED OFFICIAL
* John Wesley Hines (MS) - Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and its Gaming; Insurance; Juvenile Justice; Military Affairs; Ports, Harbors & Airports; Public Health & Human Services and Public Utilities committees
CATEGORY: LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIAL
* Dr. Michael Brown, FACOG (ND) - Mayor of Grand Forks
CATEGORY: TRIBAL ELECTED OFFICIAL
* Phillip Martin (MS) - Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
FEMA ADMINISTRATOR SELECTIONS
* Joanne Hayes-White (CA) - Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department.
* Nancy J. Dragani (OH) - Executive Director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.
* Albert Najera (CA) - Chief of the Sacramento Police Department.
* John Didion (WA) - Sheriff of Pacific County.
* Mark Malcolm (AR) - Pulaski County Coroner
HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE (EX OFFICIO)
* Dr. Richard “Dick” Andrews (CA) - Senior Director of Homeland Security Projects, NC4
OFFICER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT (EX OFFICIO)
* Peter Verga (DC) - Principal Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, U.S. Department of Defense.
FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 6:46 amDr Benjamin QUOTE:
“From my own experience working with state and local health departments, these agencies have existing, robust programs in the communities — chronic disease programs, HIV outreach, maternal and child health programs — on which we can piggyback.”
There is no PIGGYBACK available. America’s Health departments are NOT ROBUST.
Many areas in the US do not even have a functioning Health department or agency.
If they have an agency—it has NO MONEY for pandemic preparedness. Their budgets have been repeatedly cut, and they must focus on day-to-day necessities.
You have extensive experience in the District of Colombia according to your biography, Dr. Benjamin.
Anacostia is not doing well:
Report Details Drop In Care at Hospital:
www.washingtonpost.c…
The Drugged Driving Epidemic:
www.washingtonpost.c…
Alone in a City’s AIDS Battle, Hoping for Backup:
www.tuscaloosanews.c…
QUOTE:
“There may be jurisdictional hurdles to overcome, but HHS and state www.astho.org/ and local www.naccho.org/ health officials are well placed to identify solutions.”
I looked at these websites. I wish I hadn’t.
www.astho.org
Click “Publications and Presentations”
Click “States of Preparedness: Health Agency Progress 2006″
There is ONE page that mentions pandemic—-page 7.
This is ALL that it says:
“Pandemic Preparedness
All states are planning for the threat of pandemic influenza.
Answering a call by U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Michael Leavitt, states and territories hosted individual pandemic influenza planning summits during the first half of 2006.
These summits brought together diverse stakeholders from throughout the state to educate participants about the potential threat and to engage them in identifying strategies to
manage a pandemic.
All state health agencies have developed plans for pandemic influenza
which they continue to revise based on their state summit experiences, changing knowledge about the threat, and guidance provided by the federal government.
Pandemic influenza has
become a major focus for all health agencies.” NOT!
The state plans are not ready according to the GAO-(Government Accounting Office) dated June 25, 2007:
“The report also found that 14 of the 19 state response plans for bird flu reviewed by GAO were incomplete. For example, state plans often failed to include important time frames needed to assess whether they were controlling the virus.”
news.monstersandcrit…
Click “2007 ASTHO Annual Meeting”
(Nothing helpful for pandemic preparedness in the three listed speakers.)
Click “Exhibitor and Sponsor Prospectus”
The last page shows who attended this “convention” last year. I have heard nothing in the news from anyone that was there about pandemic preparation.
These are just associations that talk, write newsletters and arrange meetings. They are not “officials”.
The www.naccho.org site was much better.
Their August meeting does not have much on the agenda for pandemic preparedness, however.
www.cdc.gov/phin/phi…
The CDC has not been communicating the TRUE pandemic risk severity of sickness and death. They have been using the lowest numbers possible.
According to the 2000 US Census, there
were 72 MILLION children under the age of 18 living in the US.
As of now, children have been infected by H5N1 much more then older people. Assuming HALF of our nation’s children catch pandemic flu:
36 million children could become sick at once.
The case fatality rate—(CFR-the percentage of children infected that die)—–of H5N1 infected children is currently 70 PERCENT in Indonesia.
If this high death rate continues after H5N1 learns to transmit easily—-
TWENTY FIVE MILLION AMERICAN CHILDREN COULD DIE.
Will you please help communicate the TRUE pandemic risk to the public?
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 8:30 amPeter (Post#13)
Good idea.
I like the “CATEGORY: SPECIAL NEEDS”
FEMA can help get the word out. HHS is putting on the blog and summit and looking for help and information.
Regards,
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 9:01 amKobie
Dr. Benjamin, I will leave you with a quote by one of your fellow public health officials. In 1918, the Health Officer of the City of New Haven, CT, gave the following report to the Mayor and Board of Health of that city. He could barely bring himself to speak of the horrors he had just witnessed:
New Haven: Report of the Health Officer
To the Mayor and Gentlemen of the Board of Health - 1918
The year 1918 will go into the annals of history on account of the toll of human life that Providence has seen fit to exact by violence and disease throughout the whole civilized world. Our own country and city have been called upon to pay their portion.
Many of our young men have given their lives in the world’s war and the effect of this upon the lives, health, and happiness of many of our citizens has been far reaching and will endure for many years to come. Terrible as has been the war, the cost of life and distress brought to us as a community by it has been infinitesimal compared to the havoc caused by the late epidemic of influenza.
Pages have been written and much can and will be written, but the direfulness of the situation is too fresh in our minds to demand reiteration by going into a detailed account which differs in no material respect from what has happened in practically every town and city throughout the length and breadth of our country.
From October first to December thirty-first inclusive, there were in the City of New Haven seven hundred seventy-seven deaths from influenza and its complications. This great number of deaths, about one-third as large as the total from all causes for a whole year under normal conditions, is by itself startling, but the calamity is appalling when we realize that over sixty per cent of the deaths were of persons between the ages of twenty and forty, the most useful and valuable ages of life and the period when both males and females have the greatest number of dependents.
To dwell upon this subject as one is impressed by the results of the epidemic would be but a repetition of what has already been said by many and is useless, and we will pass it with the assertion that we have recently, by reason of influenza, gone through the most trying and serious calamity this country has ever experienced, either from sickness or war.
info.med.yale.edu/ne…
Is our public health corps. ready, Dr. Benjamin? Are they ready for this? Or, because at present we are looking H5N1 squrarely in the eye, for worse?
I don’t believe they are, and you must prepare them. There is hopefullness that a pandemic will never happen, there is a firm desire on their part to believe it never really will. I don’t blame them.
But we must be prepared, and we cannot be if our public health officials are not ready, mentally and practically. They will be called to step out from their role as vaccinators and distributors of medications. This will not be a situation-normal pandemic, and the sooner that all the dedicated public servants that make up your membership acknowledge this, the better for us all.
We are counting on our public health professionals, Dr. Benjamin, and so far they have been silent, and anything but proactive. We must continue to count on them, and they must not fail us. Take the words of New Haven’t public health officer to heart - be ready. Don’t let us down. Don’t let him down.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 10:35 amWhile the notion of an HHS blog was wonderful, its actual rollout and effectiveness is an abject failure. Save for the non-HHS panelists and commenter, the HHS continues to be silent, unresponsive and dangerous in its cavalier approach to pandemic planning.
That “goal” is actually a shedding of HHS responsibility for preparedness and a blatant shift of burden to individual citizens without a shift of resources to citizens. That is abdication of agency responsibility.
This citizen wants to be on the public record stating that the HHS is obligated to provide for the effective planning, prevention and preparedness of pandemic flu for all people in the US.
It has effected none of these, nor has it articulated an intent or actual plan to effect any of these.
I also object to any use by the HHS of calling this blog public responsiveness, furthering a conversation with the public or in furthering pandemic flu planning based on the effect of the blog. It is clear that this is nothing more than a political tool, and one which has a high likelihood of being used to claim public responsiveness, where in actuality, no responsiveness to commenters’ questions and concerns ever occurred by HHS personnel. What did happen is that public experts and grassroots activists communicated on this blog as they do on other flu and pandemic-specific blogs. The HHS did not participate, did not offer any new information, and did not move pandemic flu planning and preparation forward in any instance on this blog.
There were repeated empty promises: reporting out from the seminar is a big whopper. What reports were made available on this blog? Not even a list of attendees and their affiliations was presented here. No mission, vision or goals were ever presented, in spite of promises to do that. Promised conversations were in actuality marketing talking points without any meat.
The bottom line results of the HHS blog are nil.
I invite and welcome evidence to the contrary. But feel good, back patting meet and greets without quantifiable assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of pandemic flu planning, preparedness and prevention doesn’t meet the criteria for evidence.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 10:51 amDear Mr. Benjamin and Forum
When it comes to emergency planning and the poor; I can see that you all need a big reality check. The poor have seen how they will be dealt with during the Katrina event; and like events since then. It is vitally important that our leaders get into their blue jeans and get down to the streets, or grassroots levels of our societies. I am hearing the same mantra over and over. “It will not happen again”.
Please keep in mind, that the upper levels of our society have a perception of the poor that they get from the news media, and those annual grant reports. Reports that have been written and developed by poorly paid social workers; and grad students; that are going to manipulate data to satisfy the next cycle. I have never seen a report that showed an accurate pulse on what is really going on.
A great portion of our society was institutionalized into the present system during the 80’s and 90’s. In the late 90’s and early 21st century, HUD spent millions on teaching the poor how to organize and push buttons. Since 2003 and the rolling cuts, a national mob like atmosphere has been developing. Tucked away on the back pages and covered up with war news; or never reported on at all; are a growing number of incidents of mob/gang like behavior. Violent behavior… right here in the USA… by what some of you may think of as, the lower middle class; the upper working poor; the backbone of our society.
We cannot get pandemic news into the media; we are having trouble getting the whole truth about the situation; do you really think the media is going to report on the things I mentioned above. These things, that are more vital to pandemic planning than stockpiling, or an antiviral.
I realize that these are unmentionables; those things that our leaders and media do not want us to whisper about. But the poor know, and have learned from each event; what to expect.
When it comes to survival, these people do it everyday. They are the experts. They are the ones that will survive a national emergency. They are the ones our leaders should be talking to. Care for the poor? That statement is almost funny.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 11:34 amI have been following the post comments with interest. While it is true that the infrastructure of our state and local health departments require continued and a large additional investment, we have capacity that should be used. I believe we should remove the silos that hamper effective all hazards prepardness AND wellness.
After more than 15 years on the front lines of public health practice, the last four with a national and on occasion a global view, it is clear we need proper resources, training and practice to get it done. It is not productive for us to find reasons to not get it done. I for one believe in my peers in public health practice and their history of performance. I also belive that if we had been more concerned about the underserved in New Orleans in the years before the storm, we may have had a different clinical outcome after the storm. Let’s not repeat that mistake.
Georges
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 11:56 amBravo, Georges!
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 12:21 pmThank you for your willingness to discuss these important issues with us, Dr. Benjamin.
We wish you, and your dedicated public health colleagues, the best of luck in facing the challenge ahead of you.
There are many useful ideas that have come to the fore, here and elsewhere, and many people willing to implement them. We will need them all. We have 300 million Americans to reach, all equally citizens of this land.
As you so eloquently point out:
“Vulnerable populations are woven into the fabric of our communities.”
I believe that is my single favorite quote of this entire DHHS blog exercise, and a great reminder to us all.
As we all move ahead with efforts to prepare and inform, we need clarity and focus to make sure that our efforts do not just skim the surface in a wide yet superficial scatter, but move deeply into our society as well. 300 million people is a lot of people to reach - let that effort begin now.
We must not run out of time.
We must begin in all seriousness now to ensure that our efforts will have time to do more than harvest shallow results. We must not find ourselves in the position of saying to our most vulnerable populations:
“I’m sorry, we just didn’t have time to reach you too.”
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 2:27 pmThank you Dr. Benjamin!
We, as a society, will be judged as we come out on the other side of a pandemic, by how we treated our most vulnerable populations.
I hope we measure up.
Posted June 27th, 2007 at 3:40 pm