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February 2010  Items covered in this issue:
Updates for Massachusetts
Other News
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| Updates for Massachusetts Top | |
PAST DUE: Mid-Contract Reports
Mid-contract reports were due from all Massachusetts community health centers by February 1, 2010. If you have not already done so, please submit your reports ASAP to Tina Wright at twright@massleague.org. |
Community health centers working with state and locals on Haiti relief efforts
In response to the harrowing impact and long-term effects of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, community health centers from around the state are working to provide support to their Haitian patients and staff members, and to look for ways to assist state and federal efforts in bringing medical care and other relief to the people of Haiti. The League has created a Haiti Disaster Resources webpage to provide updates on disaster relief efforts as well as ways in which to support humanitarian organizations working on the ground in Haiti.
Thank you to all who participated in several recent surveys and conference calls in order to help coordinate local response efforts. Questions and concerns can be sent to Tina Wright at twright@massleague.org. |
State-supplied vaccines for adults available to CHCs
For a limited time, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has the following vaccines available for adults seen at public sites. These vaccines are being purchased with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and must be ordered by June 2010. The vaccines that are available through this program are:
- HPV vaccine for women and men 19 - 26 years of age
- Tdap for adults 19 through 64 years of age
- Varicella vaccine for adults 19 years of age and older
- Zoster vaccine for adults 60 years of age and older
Please remember that state-supplied hepatitis A, hepatitis B, MMR and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines are also available at no cost for adults seen at public sites. To order these vaccines for your adult patients, please place the orders through the normal vaccine ordering mechanism. If you have any questions about this, please contact the MDPH Vaccine Unit at 617-983-6828. |
Swine flu hit minorities hardest in Massachusetts
Racial and ethnic minorities in Massachusetts have been hospitalized and died of swine flu at an elevated rate, underscoring the need for people to continue be vaccinated since there is now ample supply of vaccine. Read more at http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2010/01/swine_flu_hit_m.html. |
 Boston Public Health Commission honors community health centers and the League
Highlighting their success in vaccinating more than 45,000 Boston residents against seasonal influenza and H1N1, the Boston Public Health Commission recognized the city's community health centers with two awards on Jan. 7th at its annual Employee Recognition Dinner. The awards recognize Boston-based organizations that have demonstrated remarkable leadership and vision in addressing public health challenges throughout the year. The David H. Mulligan Award was presented to the Boston Conference of Community Health Centers, a standing committee of the League dedicated to mutual problem solving and joint opportunity development among the city's community health centers. Most recently the Conference has been focused on organizing flu clinics for Boston's neighborhoods and addressing citywide health care workforce issues through the Mayor's Task Force on Improving Access to Primary Care. The Boston Influenza Response Team, which has been instrumental in the planning and execution of the city's response to containing the H1N1 threat, received the John Auerbach Team Award for Innovations in Public Health. The Response Team is made up of personnel from a range of citywide medical and public health agencies, including Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. http://www.massleague.org/Articles/2010-01-08BPHCAward.php |
Warning to Americans traveling to the 2010 Winter Olympics
The US government is advising Americans traveling to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics to use caution and to be alert to their surroundings at all times, especially on transit and in restaurants, churches and other areas outside official venues. "Al-Qaeda's demonstrated capability to carry out sophisticated attacks against sizable structures such as ships, large office buildings, embassies and hotels makes it one of the greatest potential threats to the Olympics," the US State Department said in a fact sheet on the Games posted on its website. More information is available at http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/2010_olympics/2010_olympics_4598.html. |
Changes for 2010 US Adult Immunization Schedule
CDC - Jan 15, 2010. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) annually reviews the recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure that the schedule reflects current recommendations for the licensed vaccines. In October 2009, ACIP approved the Adult Immunization Schedule for 2010, which includes several changes. These changes were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on January 15, 2010, as Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule - United States, 2010.
Changes include:
- ACIP recommended vaccination of females with either a bivalent papillomavirus vaccine (HPV2) or a quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4).
- ACIP issued a permissive recommendation for use of HPV4 in males.
- Introductory sentences were added to the schedule's footnotes for measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and meningococcal vaccines.
- Clarifications were made to the footnotes for measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, hepatitis A, meningococcal, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines.
- Schedule information was added to the hepatitis B vaccine footnote.
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Facilities reminded to report unusual thefts to authorities
Jan 8, 2010. Several thefts of supplies at hospitals across the country prompted a reminder to all health care facilities of the importance of securing supplies, most notably nitrous oxide, liquid oxygen and other sensitive materials. Facilities are reminded to monitor inventories, pay special attention to storage areas, ensure storage areas are locked and secured, and report any incidents or suspicious activity to the local police department. |
HHS Delivers the Nation's First Health Security Strategy
HHS - Jan 7, 2010. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released The National Health Security Strategy, the nation's first comprehensive strategy focused on protecting people's health during a large-scale emergency. The strategy sets priorities for government and non-government activities over the next four years. National health security means that the nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, and resilient in the face of health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences such as bioterrorism and natural disasters. The strategy provides a framework for actions that will build community resilience, strengthen and sustain health emergency response systems, and fill current gaps. To obtain a copy of the strategy and implementation guide, visit www.hhs.gov/disasters. |
| Public Health Advisories Top |
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CDC - Feb 3, 2010. Sanofi Pasteur has notified CDC and FDA that some lots of monovalent 2009 (H1N1) influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes will have a shorter expiration period than indicated on the label. The lots of Sanofi Pasteur monovalent 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in prefilled syringes should be used by February 15, 2010, as indicated in the table regardless of the expiration imprinted on the package. This is to ensure that the vaccine is used while it remains within its potency specification. There are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine. People who received vaccine from the lots listed in the table with shortened shelf life do not need to take any action. More information can be found at http://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00309. |
CDC - Jan 29, 2010. In recent testing of its influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur found five distributed lots of single-dose, pre-filled syringe pediatric (0.25 mL) vaccine and one distributed lot of single-dose pre-filled syringe for older children and adults (0.5 mL) vaccine had potency below pre-specified limits. The manufacturer is conducting a non-safety related voluntary recall of any unused doses of these affected lots of vaccine. Providers will be asked to return any unused vaccine from the affected lots to the manufacturer. The only vaccine affected by this recall is supplied in pre-filled syringes and is identified by the following lot numbers: UT023AA, UT023BA, UT023CA, UT023EA, UT023FA (NDC # 49281-650-25, which also may be recorded as # 49281-0650-25), 0.25 mL syringes in 10-packs; and UT037AA (NDC # 49281-650-90, which also may be recorded as # 49281-0650-90), 0.5 mL syringes in 25-packs. More information can be found at http://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00306. |
CDC - Jan 22, 2010. Many organizations and agencies have already deployed staff to assist in the effort and we anticipate many more will be working in Haiti over the coming months. At the same time, the probable repatriation of thousands of US citizens and the potential arrival of thousands of Haitian evacuees will directly impact local communities. Understandably, this means that many health professionals are or will be actively engaged in this response at the local level.
CDC is developing guidance and emergency information for affected communities in Haiti, relief workers responding to the earthquake, clinicians who are treating evacuees, partners who are working in Haiti, and the public. To assist in any efforts, please see the following materials and resources, which target healthcare providers treating evacuees and/or returning relief workers in their local communities.
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Rhode Island firm recalls Italian Sausage products due to possible salmonella contamination
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Johnson & Johnson recalls Tylenol, Motrin, and Rolaids
Jan 15, 2010. Johnson & Johnson recalls more products after unusual odor. Johnson & Johnson's is recalling more than 53 million bottles of including Tylenol, Motrin, and Rolaids after reports of an unusual odor, expanding on an issue that led to a Tylenol recall last year. Go to http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/ for more details. |
Flu Update for Massachusetts
by Donna Lazorik, MDPH
MDPH- Jan 27, 2010 - KEEP VACCINATING AGAINST SEASONAL AND H1N1 INFLUENZA
CDC recommends continuing vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine and 2009 H1N1 vaccine for the following reasons: - The timing, spread and severity influenza viruses is uncertain. Flu outbreaks may occur in different places at different times. - Outbreaks may occur in waves of 6-week to 8-week time periods. These waves of influenza may occur over several months or years. Different people may be affected during each wave. - In past pandemics, "waves" of activity have been observed. The first wave is usually a smaller wave; followed by a larger "peak" wave. Subsequent smaller waves can occur as well. - The United States experienced its first wave of 2009 H1N1 pandemic activity in the spring of 2009. A second wave of 2009 H1N1 activity followed in the fall (with activity peak in October). - Flu season can last as late as May. It's possible that other waves of influenza activity may occur this flu season - caused by either 2009 H1N1 viruses or regular seasonal flu viruses. H1N1 Flu VaccineThere is plenty of H1N1 vaccine available in all formulations, except for 0.25 pre-filled syringes. Seasonal Flu Vaccine
Providers who are looking for seasonal influenza vaccine available for purchase can check with IVATS (Influenza Vaccine Availability Tracking System). IVATS provides information about vaccine manufacturers and distributors with vaccine available for purchase. To access this information, go to: http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/ivats_09_10.pdf.
MDPH- Jan 21, 2010. A number of pharmaceutical distributors report having seasonal influenza vaccine available for purchase. For contact information and to see which formulations are available, go to http://www.preventinfluenza.org/ivats/ivats_09_10.xls.
MDPH - Jan 12, 2010. H1N1 Vaccine Availability to All Providers. To date 3.66 million doses of H1N1 vaccine have been allocated in Massachusetts. Providers seeking H1N1 vaccine should request doses when they do their weekly reporting of doses administered. Providers who are not registered with the Massachusetts H1N1 Vaccine Program can do so by going to http://www.mass.gov/dph/h1n1registration. For questions about requesting H1N1 vaccine or reporting doses administered, please call the H1N1 Vaccine help Desk at 617-983-6898.
CDC - Jan 08, 2010. Advice for Patients Traveling During Flu Season. With 2009 H1N1 influenza in the news, your patients may be turning to you for advice on how to avoid getting the flu during travel. There are several recommendations you can provide to help CDC make the case for healthy travel this flu season. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/713704
National Influenza Week was January 10-16, 2010, http://www.flu.gov/news/nivw.html. CDC would like to hear about the events your organization planned for National Influenza Vaccination Week. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/NIVW/form.htm to submit your event. View other NIVW events, both national and local, at http://www.flu.gov/news/nivwactivities.html.
More information is available at:
MDPH at http://www.mass.gov/flu
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Medical screening recommendations for orphaned children from Haiti under humanitarian parole status
Even before the January 12 earthquake, Haiti had a high prevalence of bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever, dengue fever, malaria, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, and HIV. On January 18, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a humanitarian parole policy allowing orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States to ensure that they receive the care they need. Given the urgency of the current situation, Haitian orphans entering the US under parole status have been allowed to bypass overseas medical screening examination prior to departure. Therefore, this document presents recommendations for screening for communicable diseases of public health importance that is meant to take the place of the overseas medical screening exam-- referred to hereafter as the initial domestic medical screening for orphan parolees. Please visit http://www.cdc.gov/ImmigrantRefugeeHealth/exams/recommendations-domestic-medical-screening-haitian-orphan.html for more information. |
New Homeland Security publication announced
The Center for Homeland Defense and Security is pleased to announce the publication of Homeland Security Affairs, available at www.hsaj.org. Homeland Security Affairs is the peer-reviewed online journal of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), providing a forum to propose and debate strategies, policies, and organizational arrangements to strengthen U.S. homeland security. |
| Training and Education Top |
Incident Command System 300 (ICS-300) February 09, 10 and 11 in Dalton
Incident Command System 300 (ICS-300) February 22, 23 and 24 in Agawam
Incident Command System 300 (ICS-300) February 22, 23 and 24 in Quincy
Incident Command System 400 (ICS-400) February 09 and 10 on Nantucket
Incident Command System 400 (ICS-400) February 25 and 26 in Agawam |
Joint Commission EM Standards Review for Health Centers Webinar
This promises to be an info filled event tailored to the needs of health centers - a great opportunity to refresh the knowledge of existing staff or jumpstart the learning of staff new to JC EM standards. Get more out of it by submitting your questions before the session. The National Association of Community Health Centers is pleased to announce a no-cost webinar on Joint Commission EM Standards for Health Centers on February 11, 2010 at 2:00 PM ET. This 75 minute session is designed to provide an overview on the 2010 Ambulatory Care Standards for Emergency Management and will feature Jerry Gervais from the Joint Commission. Participants are encouraged to email their questions about Emergency Management Standards before the session to Mollie Melbourne at mmelbourne@nachc.com. Space is limited and registration is open through February 9, 2010. Register now to reserve your spot! To Register: https://nachcevents.webex.com/nachcevents/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=935111133 |
Fourth National Emergency Management Summit
March 3-5, 2010, Washington, DC. A variety of issues will be covered at this conference including the nation's economic crisis, costly and difficult air travel, the mandate for cost efficiency in healthcare, and the explosion of online training in the health sector. This summit offers not only traditional conference attendance, but also, the opportunity to learn about these topics online.
http://www.emergencymanagementsummit.com/ |
DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness The DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness provides high quality all-hazards training for the Boston community, including public health, health care, and public safety personnel, with a focus on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive incident preparedness, response, and recovery.
Upcoming courses include:
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H1N1 Influenza: Lessons Learned
Please join DPH Commissioner John Auerbach and other public health, health care, school and community leaders at Responding to H1N1 Influenza: Lessons Learned. This conference will provide an opportunity to review lessons learned and highlight best practices from the 2009-2010 H1N1 flu season. Presenters from a variety of fields will share their experiences on patient education, vaccine distribution, non-traditional partnerships and other important issues.
Who Should Attend? Local health officials, school and university administrators, school nurse leaders, physicians, EMS leaders, hospital administrators, public safety and emergency management officials, volunteer, business and civic association leaders.
Date: Monday, March 22, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Place: The DCU Center, Worcester, MA
RSVP will be required. Space is limited. Further registration information will be sent out in the coming weeks. Questions? Please contact: dph.emergencypreparedness@state.ma.us. |
Joint Information System/Joint Information Center Planning for Tribal, State and Local Public Information Officers (Course G291) - FEMA
On-Demand training. The 1-day JIS/JIC Planning for Tribal, State, and Local PIOs course will use interactive presentation to convey information and equip PIOs with the skills needed to establish and operate a JIS/JIC. Participants will complete a number of worksheets assessing jurisdictional JIS/JIC readiness and facilitating planning for JIS/JIC implementation. This course will be delivered at the State level by State and local instructors. http://training.fema.gov/EMIGrams/gramdetails_trng.asp |
Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness
YNH-CEPDR is pleased to announce that previews for National Incident Management System (NIMS) courses are available at http://ynhhs.emergencyeducation.org. YNH-CEPDR is committed to ensuring that our courses remain current with applicable federal and accrediting agency requirements. The current course updates meet the requirements outlined in the FEMA February 2008 NIMS: Five-Year Training Plan. YNH-CEPDR also offers a number of courses that address important issues in healthcare preparedness, such as special populations, protection of the healthcare workforce and compliance with Joint Commission, OSHA and CMS regulations. Course recommendations include:
EM 150: Introduction to Evacuations - This introductory course discusses a variety of potential evacuation scenarios from water pipe breaks to fires to natural disasters to human-made incidents and aligns with safety regulations from OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association, as well as required capabilities and standards of HHS, ASPR (level one sub-capability standard) and The Joint Commission (standards EC 4.14 and EP 7).
EM 250: Small Victims, Big Challenges: Pediatric Triage, Treatment and Recovery for Emergencies - The course introduces clinicians acting as first receivers to the unique challenges encountered with children in a disaster. Children represent a special subset of individuals at risk as they have unique physiological and pharmacological considerations. The federal Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) encourages HHS to promote appropriate pre-disaster activities at the state and local levels to address the medical health needs of children. For additional information regarding these and other services, please contact the Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response at (203) 688-3224 or via email at center@ynhh.org. |
Feb 9-10 - New England Joint Criminal-Epidemiological Workshop, Framingham, MA Feb 15 - UDS preliminary submission deadline Feb 16-19 - Public Health Preparedness Summit, Atlanta, GA
Feb 24-28 - NACHC Policy & Issues Forum, Washington, DC
Feb 25 - 5th Annual Oral Health Heroes Event, Boston, MA
Mar 13 - Fenway CHC's The Women's Dinner Party, Boston, MA
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| Comings and Goings Top |
The city of Boston announced that James W. Hooley, acting chief of Boston EMS, has been appointed to the position permanently. Chief Hooley began his career with EMS nearly 32 years ago as an emergency medical technician and worked his way up to become superintendent in chief in 2001. He was named acting chief in October and succeeds Rich Serino, who left in October after being confirmed as deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Chief Hooley, a lifelong Boston resident, has emphasized the use of technological and medical advancements to improve patient emergency care and marshaled resources to create professional development opportunities for his staff. He also has been at the forefront of promoting initiatives at EMS to reduce health disparities, long a priority of Mayor Menino and BPHC. More recently, under Jim's direction, Boston EMS played a critical role in the city's response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. He prioritized the training of approximately 100 paramedics as vaccinators and dispatched EMS staff to public health clinics to provide logistical support; the latter a strategy that has become a model for future mass-care incidents. Jim is known as a leader across Boston in promoting the health and safety of Boston residents, workers and visitors. He has been directly responsible for supporting many of the improvements and advancements within Boston EMS and in the process has quietly established himself as an invaluable leader of the city's emergency response efforts. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Jim Hooley as the new Chief of Boston EMS. |
The League has welcomed several new support staff who will be invaluable additions to our staff here at the League. Please join us in welcoming Elsa Lacher and Victoria Walsh. Elsa will be focusing on the CRVFHP Migrant Program, CHCorps and workforce issues. Victoria will be assisting with emergency preparedness, oral health and provide overall policy, executive and project support. |
Boston MMRS welcomed Erin Curran as the new Program Manager for the Boston MMRS Program. Erin will assist MMRS with efforts related to the H1N1 activities, however, her primary responsibility will be purchasing and reporting for all Grant funding managed by the Boston MMRS Program. Welcome Erin, we look forward to working with you! |
Job Opportunities The City of Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security is hiring two (2) full time positions - Preparedness Division Coordinator and Recovery Division Coordinator. Postings are listed at http://www.providenceri.com/hr/jobs.php.
New planner position with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Emergency Preparedness Bureau - Healthcare Systems Planner. This position will develop and revise emergency plans, templates and procedures; he/she will develop proposals and oversee competitive procurements, and will serve as project manager for a number of funding initiatives for hospitals, community health centers, long-term care facilities, EMS agencies, and other healthcare organizations. The Healthcare Systems Planner will also interface directly with the planning and emergency response staff members in MEMA and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), and will work closely with MDPH's partner agencies within EOHHS, as well as local and regional hospital and health planners, hospital credentialing managers and emergency preparedness staff, volunteer response organization management and staff, and local public health authorities. |
| If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.
Tina Wright, Project Coordinator - EM & PI
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
40 Court Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02108
617-426-2225 ext. 231
twright@massleague.org
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