Local Governments

A pandemic occurs in many localities - perhaps even worldwide - almost simultaneously, stretching resources on all levels. State and federal resources will be at a minimum and constituent needs will be extreme. Because of this, much of the planning for a pandemic needs to occur at the local and community level.

Best Practice - Hamilton County Reaches Out to Faith-based Organizations
The Hamilton County General Health District in conjunction with the Cincinnati, Norwood, Sharonville and Springdale health departments recently conducted a series of planning forums for area faith-based organizations.

Forum objectives included:

1. Determining communications channels with public health in advance of an emergency.
2. Describing local health authority and expectations related to possible closures and restrictions on public gatherings.
3. Sharing prevention methods developed by faith leaders in Hamilton County that could be used to reduce illness within a congregation now and in the event of a pandemic.

Morning and evening sessions were held at different locations around Hamilton County. After a brief presentation, participants were provided with materials developed by the Pandemic Influenza Faith Advisory Committee. 

Recognizing the importance of including faith-based organizations in pandemic planning, the local health departments formed the committee in October 2006.  The committee is comprised of representatives from churches and other faith-based organizations in Hamilton County.

Presentation materials from the faith forums are available at www.hamiltoncountyhealth.org.  Contact Susan Schaefer, susan.schaefer@hamilton-co.org, with questions about the forums or materials. 

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Best Practice - Central Ohio Public Information Network

Submitted by Kimberly J. Smith, Health Communication Specialist - Pandemic Flu Planning
Franklin County Board of Health

Franklin County Board of Health and Columbus Public Health have partnered with more than 60 agencies to form the Central Ohio Public Information Network for Pandemic Flu (COPIN). The group has been meeting for more than a year, planning and preparing for communications needs during an influenza pandemic.

COPIN’s main goal is to provide public information about the measures taken to best protect the health and welfare of the community during a pandemic. COPIN’s objectives are to:

• Inform the public about actions taken and actions they need to take.
• Create confidence in local response efforts.
• Speak with a consistent voice.
• Release accurate, complete and timely information as soon as possible.

COPIN is divided into four subcommittees including the Health Alert Network (HAN) subcommittee, Hotline subcommittee, Joint Information Center (JIC) Logistics subcommittee and Message Development subcommittee.

The HAN subcommittee is contracting with a Web-based system that will allow users to manage their own contact information. Alerts will be sent via email, fax and telephone. The Web-based system will be used mainly for stakeholder notification.

The Hotline subcommittee developed a hotline that will allow the public to call during a pandemic to have both medical and general questions answered. The hotline is designed to minimize non emergency calls to 911 and utilizes existing systems in the community. The hotline uses systems that already exist, specifically the local FirstLink and City call centers.

The JIC Logistics subcommittee is planning and gathering the materials needed in Franklin County’s JIC. The JIC is a central location for all response agencies to meet and work together to ensure unified action and consistent information. Members are also planning for the possibility of virtual (i.e., electronic) JIC and virtual media briefings.

The Message Development subcommittee coordinates most of the written communication required for COPIN’s pandemic flu planning. This subcommittee writes the news releases, fliers and brochures used to inform the public on how to prepare for a flu pandemic.

In addition to the work of these subcommittees, COPIN created a Web site specifically for pandemic flu planning in central Ohio, www.columbuspandemicflu.com.

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Last Updated May 25, 2007

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