M E M O   /   N O T E   D E   S E R V I C E

 

 

 

 

To / Destinataire

Chair and Members of the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee / Présidente et membres du Comité de la santé, des loisirs et des services sociauxTo

File/N° de fichier: 

ACS2005-CPS-HEA-0006

From / Expéditeur

Patricia Huston, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health/ Patricia Huston, Médecin adjoint en santé publique, Santé publique Ottawa

 

Subject / Objet

Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan / Plan d'intervention interorganismes en cas de pandémie d'Ottawa

Date:  September 8, 2005/ Le 8 septembre 2005

 

 

Purpose

 

This memo provides an overview of Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan and outlines the ‘next steps’ for Ottawa Public Health.

 

Background

 

Avian flu continues to pose a risk of an influenza pandemic that would constitute a complex global emergency that could have a profound impact locally.  In close collaboration with the hospitals and the City’s Emergency Measures Unit, Ottawa Public Health has led a multi-agency effort that has resulted in Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan. 

 

The World Health Organization has identified we are in a "Pandemic Alert" phase and has described it as the number one public health threat.   On a local level, the Vulnerability Analysis conducted as part of Ottawa’s Emergency Management Program identified an infectious disease outbreak as our number one vulnerability.

 

Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan was put together by a Steering Committee representing the key responders to a widespread infectious disease outbreak (See Appendix 1).  The Ontario Health Influenza Pandemic Plan released in June 2005 stipulated that “municipal governments and local public health authorities are responsible for coordinating the local response to an influenza pandemic”. Ottawa’s Interagency Plan reflects this dual authority structure. 

 

 

Outline of the Plan

 

Ottawa’s interagency plan builds on the City’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan by adopting the same structure and “functions-based” approach, and extends it by including the functions of the health care system.  Its goal was to clearly identify what will be done and and who is going to do it.  This includes 28 activities or functions including:

Surveillance – for early detection and reporting of cases of influenza pandemic

 

Public Education and Communication – to ensure the public knows what is happening, what they can do and where they can go for help

 

Public Health Measures – including best practices in respiratory infection control, and if necessary population based measures, such as quarantine and cancellation of public gatherings.

 

Distribution of antiviral medications to frontline health care workers and those hospitalized with pandemic influenza

 

Telephone triage services -  so that those with symptoms can be assessed and linked to appropriate services, either for medical assessment or support services at home.

 

Assessment centres – to medically assess those with severe symptoms

 

Isolation centres – to care for the severely ill

 

Trained volunteer services – to help with groceries, meals and general support for those convalescing at home

 

Mass vaccination clinics – when vaccine becomes available

 
Maintenance of essential city services

 

Next steps for Ottawa Public Health

 

 

Ottawa’s Interagency Influenza Pandemic Plan is an umbrella plan that identifies “who does what”.  Each group will need to operationalize their part of the plan (i.e. Identify “how” they will meet their roles and responsibilities). There is also a commitment to test the plan, which will be done in partnership with the Emergency Measures Unit.

 

Ottawa Public Health has a key role to play in preparing and responding to an influenza pandemic including public preparedness, early detection, providing leadership for the entire health care response, population–based infection control measures, distribution of antiviral stockpiles, conducting mass vaccination clinics and providing statistical data on this reportable disease. 

 

Over the fall we will be developing our operational plan and will report back to the Health, Recreation and Social Services Committee with details of the operational plan. 

 

 

Author’s Initials

Attachments

 

Document 1:     Pandemic Steering Committee

Prepared by Initials

Original signed by

 

Patricia Huston

Cc:       City Manager

            Deputy City Manager

            MOH, Ottawa Public Health

            Coordinator, HRSS

 

APPENDIX 1

Pandemic Steering Committee

Mandate

The overall goal of the Pandemic Steering Committee matches the Ontario and Canadian goals for influenza pandemic preparedness: to minimize societal disruption, serious illness and death, with a specific focus on local preparedness. The Committee’s short-term goal is to reach “Phase 1” of preparedness. We define Phase 1 as completing Version 1.0 of an interagency pandemic plan. This plan will outline who does what in preparing for, mitigating and recovering from the challenges of an influenza pandemic. The Committee will inform an exercise to test the plan.

Members

John Ash                      Manager, Emergency Measures Unit, City of Ottawa

Jill Collins                      Project Manager, Ottawa Public Health

Jill Courtemanche          Emergency Preparedness Health Specialist, Ottawa Public Health

Robert Cushman           Chief Executive Officer, Local Health Integration Network
(began August 2005)

Brigitte Emes                Manager, Client Services, Community Care Access Centre

Wendy Fortier               Clinical Director, Emergency and Intensive Care, The Ottawa
Hospital

Gary Garber                  Head, Infectious Diseases, The Ottawa Hospital

Patricia Huston                         Associate Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health (Chair)

Marlene Leonard           Chair, Pandemic Community Preparedness Committee
(began April 2005)

Laura Muldoon              Family Physician, Somerset West Community Health Centre
(began September 2005)

Justin Maloney              Director, Base Hospital Program, The Ottawa Hospital

Florence Nadorozny      Chair, Regional Hospital Disaster Planning Committee

Rebecca Seguin                        Nursing supervisor, Carleton Lodge, City of Ottawa

Pierre Poirier                Deputy Chief, Logistics, Ottawa Paramedic Service

Aimee Rupert               Communications Strategist, Corporate Communications Branch, City of Ottawa

Perin Sankar                 Regional Manager, Ottawa and Kingston Public Health Laboratories

Alasdair Smith               Executive Director, Capital Health Alliance (until June 2005)

Jim Worthington            Chair, Pandemic Clinical Care Committee (began May 2005)