Rebecca MacMullan: Recognizing preparedness efforts in Spokane County

Saturday marks the fifth annual International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. Since 2020, this event has encouraged education and awareness about how people and organizations work to prevent, prepare for, and partner against epidemics. An epidemic is a sudden outbreak of a disease that affects many people, spreads rapidly, and is above normal levels for that area. Locally, Spokane Regional Health District works year-round to prepare for epidemics and many other hazards.

Protecting communities from outbreaks has been a key role of public health for over a century. Diseases can spread through food, water, air, surfaces, touch, insects and animals. To help prevent outbreaks, public health agencies safeguard the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the places we live, work, learn and play. SRHD promotes healthy behaviors that prevent the spread of disease and conducts disease surveillance to identify outbreaks quickly. Despite these efforts, epidemics still may break through our defenses.

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought increased attention to epidemic preparedness, public health preparedness and response has been growing since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the anthrax incidents that same year. After these terrible events, our nation recognized the need for public health to prepare for emergencies, from disease outbreaks to natural, accidental or intentional disasters. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 provided direction and funding for public health agencies to better prepare for, and respond to, a wide range of emergencies.

SRHD’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response program supports readiness for epidemics, emergencies and catastrophic events. Our region is at risk for natural hazards that can harm our health, including wildfires, wildfire smoke, floods and extreme weather. Natural or human forces could disrupt essential services – power, clean water, transportation, supply chains or communication networks. We can’t prevent every public health emergency, but we can plan, prepare and partner to be ready for whatever challenges come our way.

Effective emergency response requires strong coordination across many sectors and agencies. PHEPR works regularly with health care systems, emergency management, local and state governments, service providers, businesses, institutions, and community organizations. Just as connection and solidarity between neighbors can help people get safely through disasters, solid relationships and shared understanding between response partners can build resilience across the whole community.

Volunteers are essential during disasters and epidemics. Your local Medical Reserve Corps of Spokane County is managed by PHEPR and is part of a national network of over 800 MRC volunteer units. Medical and nonmedical volunteers are recruited, trained and ready for deployment during emergencies to support medical, emergency, and public health services. MRC volunteers routinely support vaccination clinics, provide first aid stations, assist at emergency shelters, and offer free trainings in suicide prevention, naloxone administration for opioid overdose, Stop the Bleed, and Psychological First Aid.

Being prepared for emergencies is also an individual responsibility. PHEPR encourages individuals and families to sign up for emergency alerts, build an emergency supply kit and have a household emergency plan. When disasters strike, first responders must focus on protecting and saving lives from immediate danger. Service providers concentrate on restoring power, water, and transportation services. If households have the confidence, supplies, and ability to be self-sufficient at home for three or more days, we can all ride out the storm safely and recover more quickly. You can find resources and information to help your household be prepared for emergencies by visiting srhd.org and search, “emergency preparedness.”

Public health doesn’t stand still waiting for the next emergency. We’re pressing forward to fix the problems we can see and find potential problems before they appear. Over the past three years, PHEPR staff convened a Health Equity in Disasters Task Force to identify and address the unmet needs of people with disabilities. People with disabilities are two to four times more likely to be injured or killed during disasters. Many people with disabilities face unique challenges during evacuations, at emergency shelters, and returning to their homes after disasters. The task force brought a wide range of organizations and community members together to understand the local situation and find practical solutions to better meet residents’ needs.

The systems are in place – a dedicated public health workforce, close coordination among partners, trained and ready volunteers, growing household and neighborhood resilience, and a commitment to continuous improvement. This International Day of Epidemic Preparedness strengthens our resolve to work year-round while the skies are blue to help our community be prepared and ready when the next storm arrives.

Rebecca MacMullan, MPH, is an emergency preparedness and response specialist at the Spokane Regional Health District.