Planning
What is the government of Canada and the province doing to prepare for a pandemic influenza?
To prepare for a pandemic emergency, both the government of Canada and the province of Ontario have plans. The Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan details the national planning, monitoring, communications and response. The Ontario Health Pandemic Influenza Plan focuses on the provincial response and links with the national plan. Both plans try to reduce serious illness and deaths and societal disruption as a result of a pandemic.How is the City of Hamilton preparing for a pandemic?
Public Health Services has developed an Emergency Response Plan to a pandemic influenza. This plan includes the development of a surveillance program to monitor absenteeism and influenza-like illnesses in Hamilton. The plan also gives detail information regarding communication, anti-viral medicine distribution, mass immunization strategies and plans to maintain essential services. The goal of the Pandemic Influenza Response Plan is to ensure that the communication and response by public health, city departments and the local health care community is efficient, coordinated and clear. During a pandemic, the local media will be the best source of information.How are St. Joseph's Healthcare and Hamilton Health Sciences preparing for a pandemic?
St. Joseph's Healthcare (SJH) Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and are working together, in conjunction with the City of Hamilton Department of Public Health & Social Services, to develop a plan for clinical health services in the event that a pandemic influenza hits the Hamilton area.Project managers Stephanie Trowbridge (SJH) and Kathryn Clark (HHS) have completed extensive research on pandemic plans in other jurisdictions and developed a template that will guide the hospitals as they collaborate on creating a joint, comprehensive plan.
The goal of the SJH - HHS pandemic plan will be to prepare both hospitals to mobilize resources quickly and to effectively limit the impact of the pandemic. The clinical health services plan will reflect others that are in effect across the community, the province and the country.