Pandemic Influenza Plan - Questar III

Section 3: Healthcare Planning and Emergency Response
• Use of non-traditional health care facilities (schools, community centers, etc.)
increases the difficulty in adhering to infection control guidelines (e.g., spacing of
patients, access to hand hygiene products, and PPE).
• Staff may become exposed and transmit infection while incubating or ill.
Identification and reporting of an influenza outbreak in a health care setting can be done
through the HPN. Hospitals and nursing homes use the Nosocomial Outbreak Reporting
Application to report nosocomial outbreaks.
B. Volunteers
1. Role in Preparedness and Emergency Response
Volunteers play an integral role in preparedness planning and emergency response
and provide an organized way for medical and public health volunteers to offer their
skills and expertise during local public health crises. Volunteers can assist in various
roles during large-scale emergencies, such as an influenza pandemic or an act of
terrorism, and can also work to strengthen the overall health and well-being of their
communities. They may serve in various roles including all types of healthcare
facilities, community PODs and alternate care sites.
The recruitment and deployment of volunteers is an important component of
emergency preparedness and response. In order to ensure an effective and responsive
volunteer program, hospitals, other healthcare facilities/agencies, LHDS and local
OEMs must develop partnerships around recruitment, training and credentialing. This
coordinated approach will help reduce the occurrence of an individual, whose name
appears on multiple volunteer lists, therefore ensuring that deployment is achieved in
an effective and efficient manner.
2. Public Health Preparedness Volunteer Practitioner Database
The NYSDOH maintains a statewide volunteer practitioner database on a secure,
Internet accessible system located on the department’s Health Information Network
(HIN). This Public Health Preparedness Volunteer Practitioner Database retains
names of licensed professionals who would be willing to volunteer their services in
the event of a public health emergency. The purpose of this database is to assure that
New York State will have adequate resources to prepare for and respond to any public
health emergency, whether it is a declared disaster or other public health emergency.
In the event of an emergency, NYSDOH will initiate the activation of volunteer
practitioners and the deployment of activated practitioners if there are multiple,
simultaneous demands for additional practitioners from different parts of the state.
Following activation, participating volunteer practitioners will provide services under
the direction of the State, City or local health department or emergency management
office or hospital to which they have been deployed by NYSDOH. Local health
departments may access the Volunteer Practitioner Database to identify practitioners
within their jurisdiction who have indicated they are willing to become a member of a
local public health emergency preparedness effort.
February 7, 2006 3-21