Public Health Practices

The Oregon Adult Immunization Coalition gathered donated vaccine and supplies, trained nursing and pharmacy students to provide immunizations, and organized free clinics for high-risk adults during H1N1.

California is home to the second highest number of FEMA-declared disasters each year, and it is also a substantial producer of much of the nation's agriculture.

Harmonizing public health and healthcare practices across jurisdictions can be difficult in the best of times and an even more daunting challenge during an emergency. Yet partners in Oregon were quickly able to develop regional comprehensive policies that received speedy support from hospitals and health systems, allowing for consistent approaches in H1N1 response.

Although homeless people were not explicitly listed as an a priority or target group during H1N1, three states that opted to prioritize them partnered with faith-based organizations to offer vaccine and other services.

The Marion County Health Department in West Virginia used a mobile H1N1 vaccine clinic to reach small, rural communities across the region.

The Pine Ridge Reservation, home to over 14,000 Oglala Sioux and other tribal members, encompasses two million acres in southwestern South Dakota. Access to healthcare services is limited due to a lack of medical professionals, as well as a shortage of transportation. Shannon County, which includes much of the reservation, is the second-poorest county in the nation.

The purpose of Florida's Antiviral Stockpile program is to assure that anyone who has a prescribed need for medication to treat influenza-like illness has access to it, regardless of their ability to pay. Based on this goal, the state identified two situations in which interventions might be necessary: instances in which individuals are unable to afford antivirals, and times in which pharmacies are not able to meet demand for antivirals out of their own supplies.

A workbook developed by the USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness and the Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health promotes strategies for engaging rural healthcare providers in all-hazards planning. The workbook is the result of long-term collaborations with rural partners across the country and reflects rural communities' ideas, comments, and needs.

The Preparedness and Resiliency materials from the American Red Cross address the mental well-being of adults and children following a disaster. The document on coping strategies for children is not specific to a pandemic situation, yet it contains accurate guidance for caregivers who are dealing with a child's experience of trauma or loss. An especially useful part of the guide is the list of age-based responses to trauma and triggers for when parents should seek professional help.