Executive Vice President's Report

Are We Ready?

Philip H. Gilbert, Executive Vice President


September 11 was a wake up call of mass proportion. One reality since this event that continues to bother me is that in many parts of Florida we are not ready to handle a biological terrorist attack of any large proportion at the county "grass roots" level. Therefore, we now have to work twice as hard and fast to build a seamless response network that offers the best protection for the masses and members of the medical profession. This will require greater governmental and private sector cooperation and much needed resources primarily funds:
  • Funding predicated on local county health departments' ability to respond to bioterrorism and similar events, yet crafted in a manner that is designed to serve a more pluralistic purpose such as providing preparatory, preemptive services on a continuing basis.
  • Funding that addresses issues relating to:
  1. reinforcing the county level health and medical infrastructure;
  2. broadening epidemiology capabilities and investigatory capacity;
  3. expanded disease surveillance and close monitoring;
  4. implementation of professional and community education:
  5. staffing to respond to the questions and concerns of both the public and medical community;
  6. strengthening the working relationship between the local public health professionals and the medical community including doctors primarily based in office practices and emergency rooms, and
  7. developing with local infectious disease physicians valuable protocols and educational materials geared to meet local needs.
  • Funding that provides in all counties community response teams equipped and capable of working within their community or assisting others (Mutual Assistance).
  • Funding that addresses the alternative use of Special Needs Shelters in case of mass exposure and or hospital lock downs. Shelters might include needed equipment, supplies, pharmaceuticals, wash down functions, and the use of portable buildings as isolation wards that can be activated at a moments notice should it become necessary.
  • Funding that supports doctors and nurses willing to serve as volunteer members of a Public Health Service Corps as suggested by Dr. Mike Mass. Such a volunteer program should begin right now developing and training local medical and paraprofessionals for meeting response requirements. These volunteers would provide needed back- up to the Public Health professionals who are few in numbers and may be over whelmed during a crisis.
  • Funding to establish regional "feeder labs" designated for preliminary testing of samples. The suggestion is for development of ten such "feeder labs" around the state, each with sovereign immunity exemption. This would give Florida a "closer to the source" support network for every 1.4 million people, and lend closer support to the Public Health field staff, community doctors, and patients.
  • Funding to provide physicians and their office staffs with education, supplies, and equipment they may need to protect themselves and serve the masses in the likelihood of a terrorist event. A great deal of cross training and coordination must be done among medical professionals, Public Health agencies, and disaster preparedness groups.

One final point is that many are uncomfortable relying on national and state stockpiles of supplies and pharmaceuticals preferring them to be regionally stored and quickly accessible.

In conclusion, now is the time to bring the State of Florida Department of Health's county-based first health and medical responder program up to peak performance. Now is the time to determine and provide what is needed by doctors in order to meet the goal of providing care to the masses should a nuclear, biological or chemical act of terrorism occur. Now is the time to be sure that special needs shelters are stocked and in place. Now is the time to make sure that professionals staff all of these efforts along with community trained volunteers. In so doing, the executive and legislative branches of Florida government will serve our citizens best.

Jacksonville Medicine / November, 2001

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