DATE: October 11, 2016
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: David Pomaville, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Master Agreement with Public School Districts for Provision of School District Facilities for use as Open Point of Dispensing Sites
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and Authorize the Chairman to execute a Master Agreement with public school districts located within Fresno County for the provision of school district facilities for use as Open Point of Dispensing Sites for dispensation of medication and/or vaccines in the event of a large scale public health emergency, effective upon execution through December 31, 2017, plus two optional one-year extensions. ($0)
2. Authorize the Director of the Department of Public Health, or designee, to add and/or delete public school districts located within Fresno County to the Master Agreement, as necessary.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended agreement will allow, in the event of a large scale public health emergency as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (42 U.S. Code, section 5122), the Department of Public Health to transfer prophylactic medications and medical supplies to identified public school districts located in Fresno County. The medications and supplies would be received from the Center for Disease and Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), through the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The school districts would operate as Open Point of Dispensing (POD) Sites for County residents within their geographical areas, operated by either County personnel, local jurisdiction personnel, and/or other select community partners, with no increase in Net County Cost.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no alternative action. Should your Board not approve the recommended agreement, the Department may not use the public school districts as Open POD medication/vaccine sites during a large scale public health emergency, potentially requiring County residents to commute further to reach the nearest Open POD Site which would be located in Fresno.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Grant funds the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) Program, which would dispense medical countermeasures to the local population during a large scale public health emergency. Agreement No. 14-602 with CDPH was approved by your Board on September 30, 2014 and provides for this public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activity, there is no cost associated with the recommended agreement.
DISCUSSION:
On September 30, 2014, your Board approved Agreement No. 14-602 with CDPH for funding of public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activities. The PHEP grants support regional preparedness activities, including training, drills, exercises, reports, and corrective action plans, as well as, response activities and plans addressing pandemic flu epidemics, alternate care sites, chemical/biological incidents and advance laboratory services.
The PHEP grants also fund the CRI Program, which is a federally funded effort to prepare major U.S. cities and metropolitan areas to effectively respond to a large-scale public health emergency event by dispensing medical countermeasures, obtained through the CDC’s SNS, to the identified population within 48 hours of the decision to activate by the CDC. The activation would occur when the request for SNS supplies is made by the County to CDPH to the CDC; who in turn would decide whether or not to activate. The County is a CRI jurisdiction, has the responsibility of being prepared to protect the entire County population and has written plans addressing how to dispense medication and supplies countywide.
Medical countermeasures, typically antibiotics in a public health emergency event, are dispensed at identified Open POD Sites, which are strategically and centrally located though metropolitan Fresno and its surrounding incorporated jurisdictions and unincorporated County areas. Open POD’s are the traditional method of providing prophylaxis medications and/or vaccines in CRI program areas and designated dispensing locations for persons who are currently healthy but may have been “exposed” and need prophylactic medication. Open PODs would be staffed and managed by either County personnel, local jurisdiction personnel, and/or other select community partners.
The CDC and CDPH strongly recommend the use of Open PODs in the County’s Public Health Emergency Response Plan; an Open POD is one that is open to the general public. Open PODs are a critical component in meeting the goal of providing prophylaxis to an estimated County population of 1,000,000 people within 48 hours.
Approval of the recommended agreement will allow the County to use the identified public school districts as Open POD Sites to gather and store medical supplies and equipment and to distribute appropriate prophylactic treatment to the general public living in the County. The Department is continuing to review its plans and to work with other public and private organizations to provide Open POD Sites to help ensure the entire County population can be provided prophylactic treatment, as needed, within 48 hours following a large-scale public health emergency. As a designated Open POD Site, the identified public school districts would receive the supplies and equipment when the event occurs.
The recommended agreement is effective upon execution and has an initial term which ends December 31, 2017. It shall automatically be extended for two additional twelve-month periods upon the same terms and conditions, unless written notice of non-renewal is given a minimum of 60 days prior to the close of the agreement term. Additionally, the recommended agreement contains an indemnification clause whereby the County and the identified public school districts agree to mutually indemnify, save, hold harmless and defend the other to the extent of their respective insurance coverage.
REFERENCES:
Fresno County’s Public Health Emergency Response Plan, Medical Countermeasures (MCM) Emergency Response Base Plan dated 2/24/16
BAI #37, September 30, 2014 - Agreement No. 14-602
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Master Agreement with Public School Districts
CAO ANALYST:
Sonia De La Rosa