BH.05.APR1019.R02- Emergency Management Update 2018

RECOMMENDATION(S):

(a) That the Human Resources Committee makes recommendation to the Board of Health to receive this report, for information.

BACKGROUND:

This Report provides an update on key Emergency Management Activities that occurred in 2018.

KEY POINTS:

• WDGPH maintains an established and comprehensive emergency management program. The purpose of the program is to equip the Agency to prepare, respond and recover from any of the following:
  • community health emergencies;
  • internal emergencies; and
  • disruptions that may impact the ability of agency to carry out its regular business.
• This program flows from the Emergency Management Foundational Standard and the Emergency Management Guideline in the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS).

Operational Plan Objectives

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) recognizes that a prompt, efficient response to emergency situations and disruptions is an important component of maintaining the health and safety of all employees and the communities we serve. It is a key Agency objective to ensure that the organization is ready to respond effectively to a wide range of emergencies or disruptions, at any given time. WDGPH is committed to maintaining a comprehensive emergency management program

2018 Accomplishments:

• Completed the revision of section B.1 - Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment of the Emergency Response Plan.
• Completed the revision of section D. - Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) of the Emergency Response Plan.
• The entire Emergency Response Plan has been completely reviewed, revised and updated to a new version - v.7., with the exception of section G. - Mass Vaccination Plan, which is under a more detailed review.
• Increased community partner awareness regarding emergency management and public health through emergency awareness events, meetings and exercises. These deliverables included participation in: Wellington County emergency planning meetings and exercises, Dufferin County emergency exercises and a training event at the City of Guelph’s Emergency Preparedness Day.
• Provided Emergency Management training to the Senior Leadership Team and Managers covering a range of issues related to: 1) Emergency Management, 2) the Incident Management System (IMS), 3) WDGPH Emergency Response Plan, 4) WDGPH IMS activation process, and 5) IMS roles of the Emergency Control Group.
• Activated the Emergency Response Plan/IMS twice in the 2018 year to manage two internal disruptions: 1) Flu Response Mass Vaccination, February 2018 and 2) Multi Event IMS Response TB, Hep A and Hep C, August 2018. Having an internal lived experience from disruptions or emergencies fulfills the requirement of an exercise every 3 years based on the disruption responses the following were identified as some of the areas of strength and areas for future review.

Areas of Strength: WDGPH responded and adapted quickly to the events using IMS, clinics were mobilized quickly, positive public perspective/appreciation and implementation of a call centre helped manage the events.

Areas for Future Review: The need for a school-related public health incident communications process, better understanding of IMS roles during events, improved data collection method and improved internal communications during events.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND/OR FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

The Ontario Public Health Standards requires that boards of health:

Shall effectively prepare for emergencies to ensure 24/7 timely, integrated, safe, and effective response to, and recovery from emergencies with public health impacts, in accordance with ministry policy and guidelines 1.

REFERENCES:

1. Ontario. Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Ontario Public Health Standards 2018. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2019 [effective Jan 1 2018; revised July 1 2018]. Available from: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/oph_standards/d… [PDF].

Related Reports

IMS Mass Influenza Immunization Response - BH.01.JUN0618.R16
FLU IMS Communications Report – BH.01.APR0418.R11
Influenza Vaccine Clinics - BH.01.APR0418.C08
Emergency Preparedness Update 2017 - BH.01.FEB0718.C01

APPENDICES:

None.

Prepared by: David George, Emergency Preparedness Health & Safety Officer

Reviewed by: David Kingma, Director, Administrative Services

Approved by: Dr. Nicola Mercer, Medical Officer of Health & CEO