“Preparation and cooperation are the two best weapons for reducing the impact of a potential pandemic flu,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips, a co-sponsor of the legislation. “King County has already started creating the partnerships that will be needed throughout the region to maintain necessary services. This funding will help ensure that if there is a pandemic, we have put the mechanisms in place to protect the public and make sure vital services continue to function.”
“This is a multi-layered plan that points out the responsibilities that every individual has when it comes to containing a possible pandemic—and some of those responsibilities involve nothing more than frequent handwashing, disinfecting work surfaces and coughing into our arms - not hands,” said ordinance co-sponsor, Councilmember Jane Hague. “This is a plan we hope never has to be put into use, but it is our responsibility to ensure that County government is prepared and the public has the information necessary to prepare for a pandemic.”
“The people of King County expect their government
to effectively coordinate with other health leaders and governments in
preparing a plan to respond to disasters such as pandemic flu,”
said Councilmember Julia
Patterson, chair of the King County Board
of Health. “King County has made tremendous strides
in the last year to prepare and minimize the risk to our communities.”
“The collaboration between the County, the public, health care providers,
and business has put as ahead of the game in preparing and reacting to
a possible pandemic flu,” said Councilmember
Bob Ferguson, who last year supported the allocation of $5.9
million to undertake a major County-wide effort to prepare for a pandemic
flu. “The public wants to know what their role is in controlling
the spread of a pandemic, this plan will give them a roadmap of how they
can help.”
“Even
with all our detailed plans, the best way to weather any disaster is to
make sure that you, your family and your neighborhood are informed and
prepared,” said Councilmember Kathy
Lambert. “King County has a wealth of resources and
information
that will help individuals, businesses and communities prepare to continue
operating under social distancing circumstances in the event of a pandemic
flu emergency. In addition, I encourage King County residents to take
advantage of the training available with the Community
Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). As we recognize Emergency
Preparedness Month in September, and as the flu season approaches, this
is the perfect time to remind everyone to become prepared.”
The Council recognizes that King County is in a
unique position to provide leadership during a pandemic flu outbreak.
The county has regional responsibility for coordinating emergency preparedness
and public health. It provides many critical government services that
would need to be maintained even with many employees absent due to illness
or caring for family, and it is one of the region’s large employers
and has a responsibility to put in place protections for the health of
its workers.
The funds will be used to support the King County Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, a coordinated regional response involving government, health care providers, schools, businesses, community-based organizations and individuals. The plan has three interrelated components that respond to the County’s roles as regional emergency preparedness/public health provider, government service provider, and large employer:
1. The Public Health Pandemic Influenza Response Plan outlines the roles, responsibilities and activities of Public Health – Seattle & King County and the county’s regional partners in responding to and preparing our community for the pandemic flu. The plan establishes the baseline and sets common assumptions for other components of the plan and other entities’ plans, and stresses the community-wide responsibility for preparedness.
2. The King County Continuity of Operations Plan focuses on the roles, responsibilities, and activities of each King County department to assure the continuity of essential government services such as wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal, transit, and criminal justice and human services during a pandemic—when 25 to 40 percent of the workforce may be absent.
3. The Human Resources Division Pandemic Influenza Emergency Response Manual provides staffing strategies, tools, advice and directives for departments to follow during a pandemic influenza emergency to ensure employees are protected and essential services can be delivered.
As a major step in preparedness, King County has convened the King County Healthcare Coalition, a network of private healthcare organizations and providers committed to working together to maximize the health care system’s ability to respond to excessive increases in the demand for services during an emergency, for the benefit of the entire community.
Public Health—Seattle and King County has also led outreach efforts to ensure that specific communities—people with disabilities, the elderly, communities of color and those with limited English proficiency—to ensure they are prepared for and able to access services during an influenza pandemic. The County’s Vulnerable Populations Action Team have already targeted specific populations for planning and training, and those populations that Public Health will directly support in the event of a pandemic. The team is also working to ensure that:
• Community-based organizations educate and assist the populations they serve in being prepared and able to access support services during a pandemic;
• Key community-based organizations are able to train their staff and partner organizations to provide response and recovery services;
• Public health information will reach Vulnerable Populations prior to and throughout an influenza pandemic.
Funds will also be used to purchase the antiviral medication Tamiflu for those individuals who become seriously ill as well as front-line health care workers who would be providing care to those who contract the flu and who thereby may be at great risk for catching the virus. Since the original decision to allocate the funds was made last year, the cost for the county to purchase Tamiflu has dropped. The Council is restricting $1 million of the appropriation pending review and approval by the Council of the executive’s plan for reallocation of these savings.
Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s
LEGISEARCH system
Type in “2006-0257” and “2006-0115”
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Mailing Address: King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200,
Seattle, WA 98104-3272