It's been an intersting run on a .gov blog, the first and perhaps the only one I'll ever be invited to participate in. Highlights:
On communication (Nedra Weinreich):
The first — and most obvious — piece that needs to be put in place is a media campaign...
The second piece — reaching the intermediaries — is what HHS has been focusing on with its Leadership Forum and the toolkits designed for various industry and public sectors. As the word about preparing for pandemic flu comes down from the leaders of each field, professionals will be more likely to accept the new industry standards...
The third key component of the campaign should facilitate the dissemination of information between individuals. To help empower and harness the energy of the many well-informed citizens who are already working to prepare their family, friends and communities, HHS should create something like a "Citizen Pandemic Preparedness Corps." Centered around a website and the social network described above, the Corps would have its own online toolkit with a PowerPoint slideshow and presentation script, camera-ready handouts, a speaker’s bureau list, sample letters to the editor and other materials. The website could also provide an online location for people to meet virtually and tools to enable communities to schedule in-person "meet-ups." Corps members could easily invite their colleagues, community members, friends and family to learn more online and have them then spread the word to their own extended social networks.
On Making It Happen For All Americans (Georges Benjamin):
I 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.
On Communication (Pierre Omidyar):
I hope the Department looks at this experiment not only as a new way to communicate with the public, but also as a way to enable real conversations with real people. The threat we face from pandemic flu is real, and I believe the best preparedness will come out of two-way conversations, not just one-way communication, when people are armed with complete and honest information.
On Engagement (Patricia Talone):
There are and will be concrete results flowing from last week’s meeting. Among these are:
- Dissemination of materials and resources (from HHS, CDC and other relevant sources). Many of these have and will continue to be shared on this blog as well as on Flu Wiki and other blogs.
- Determination to develop, review and/or evaluate policies and procedures for hospitals, clinics, schools, businesses - any organizations that bear responsibility for the good of society.
- Stronger bonding between and among these organizations. The enormity of the challenge forces one to realize that no individual or organization can handle this possibility alone. Author Flannery O’Connor maintained that "the truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." Recognizing that we are sisters and brothers to one another, we must extend our hands and strengthen the bonds that tie us together.
On Solutions (Mike Coston):
We’ve grown accustomed to treating our nation like a 5 star resort, where if a problem with the accommodations crops up, we call the front desk and complain.
"Hello? I’d like to report a pandemic in my room. Please send someone up right away. Thanks"
Under normal circumstances, that’s how things work. We pay our taxes, and in return we expect the government to handle the big problems for us while we concentrate on working, raising our families, and chasing the fabled American Dream. We aren’t always satisfied with the results, but that’s our system, and so we generally sigh, accept what we get, and go on.
Sometimes though, perhaps once in a generation, a crisis comes along that is simply too big for the government to handle alone. When that happens, they must turn to the people for help. The last time the government did this was during World War II, and history shows it was the right move. In fact, the efforts on the home front made the difference in the outcome of that war.
The corollaries between then and now are remarkable.
Oh, and my posts call all be found here, in reverse order. Speaking with some of the country's experts on this topic has been an invigorating experience. And we hope to continue the conversation at Yearly Kos with a Saturday pandemic flu prep panel (including spokespeople from Effect Measure, The Humane Society and Trust For America's Health).
Stop by and take a look... more people than just me are taking this seriously, and with good reason. Pandemic flu needs an enormous amount of prep, and it can't be done last minute. At the same time, strengthening the public health system's infrastructure to deal with a pandemic helps in every aspect of other hazards and illnesses, be it seasonal flu, overcrowded EDs or help for dealing with chronic medicine needs and regulatory barriers. This is work done in support of, and not instead of, addressing other health needs.
See you in Chicago, I hope. And think about doing some personal prep while you're waiting for the institutional messages to get geared up. You never know what natural disaster you'll need them for.