Volunteers participating at the drill.

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - Testing its ability to rapidly distribute large supplies of medicine to local communities through “Medication Centers,” Public Health - Seattle & King County joined with community response partners and local volunteers in conducting an emergency preparedness drill today. Specifically, the drill tested the organization of patient flow through the Medication Center, and staffing levels and functions for meeting the diverse needs of patients.

“In an emergency, Public Health’s Medication Centers would quickly gear up to dispense medicines or vaccines safely to the public,” said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director and Health Officer of Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Today’s drill is part of Public Health’s ongoing commitment to protect the health and safety of King County residents.”

In an actual event, Public Health could serve as many as 12,500 people in 30 hours at one Medication Center. As of today, Public Health is capable of operating four Medication Centers simultaneously, and coordinating with other response partners to serve all King County residents if a total population response is necessary.

In the event of disease outbreaks, terrorist acts, hazardous materials emergencies, or major trauma events, local supplies of antibiotics and other medical equipment may be quickly depleted.

During such events, Public Health may access state and federal resource assistance by requesting mobilization of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) of medical supplies. The SNS is a cache of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical supplies managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and made available to assist states and local communities in their emergency response activities.

The metropolitan Seattle region is one of 21 urban areas that have been chosen to participate in the CDC’s Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) program. The goal of CRI is to save lives through timely delivery of the SNS, which includes medicines and medical supplies during a large-scale public health emergency. Conducted in concert with state and local partners, this drill is part of Public Health’s local CRI efforts.

Today’s drill scenario assumed that a recent act of terrorism had exposed members of the public to the biological agent, anthrax. Through mass communications, the public was directed to the Medication Center to obtain supplies of antibiotics.

Media were invited to observe the drill and community volunteers simulated patients going to the Medication Center to receive their medication.

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