Kuskokwim “tabletop” exercise

The pandemic planning tabletop exercises are finally coming to Bethel and the surrounding Villages.

• http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/08/10/state-pandemic-influenza-summits/

Published: June 6, 2006
Last Modified: June 6, 2006 at 12:45 AM

http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/7806472p-7720436c.html

State to help communities prepare for flu pandemic

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is conducting meetings at regional hubs around the state to help local officials prepare for a flu pandemic.

The meetings provide an overview of pandemic flu and its consequences, discuss local involvement in planning and communications and offer a “tabletop” exercise in responding to the flu.

For a list of the meetings and local contacts, see

• http://www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov/pdfs/communityvisitstatus.pdf

The tabletop agenda is available in pdf format at

• http://ykhc.org

As part of the tabletop exercise, there will be a meeting for the community as a whole. Although described as a town hall meeting, it will be at the Cultural Center, next to the fire station and the library. This should be a good, though limited, time to ask questions.

Pandemic Influenza Workshop

The YK Delta Pandemic Planning Team would like to invite the public to attend a Community Pandemic Flu Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, November 1, at 7:00 p.m. at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center. [deadline]

This Town Hall Meeting is part of a workshop designed to inform emergency management, local businesses, school officials, non-profit organizations, community and tribal officials and other community members about the details of the pandemic flu threat and to share planning efforts at the State level. Planning assistance will also be provided for local pandemic flu planning.

The meeting will be moderated by Jim Mackin from the Alaska Division of Public Health. This public forum is open for discussion of individual preparedness, dead/sick bird reporting procedures, basic information, Q&A, etc.

The public is also welcome to attend other portions of the workshop.

The YK Delta Pandemic Planning Team is composed of governmental agencies

• http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/07/26/ how-would-the-yk-delta-respond-to-a-pandemic/

It is extremely important that members of the public get involved in as many of the preparations as possible. While these agencies work for us, they need our expertise in order to do a better job. In addition, good community involvement ensures that perspectives other than those of the agencies are included. For example, people who rely on their personal or corporate vehicles are apt to forget or simply don’t know the needs of pedestrians.