Cross-border collaborations enhance preparedness at an international event

Prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Washington State Department of Health (WSDOH) worked with the British Columbia Ministry of Health (BCMOH) to boost cross-border emergency preparedness.

Using funding from CDC and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), WSDOH and BCMOH focused on preparing for a chemical emergency. The agencies developed plans to move chemical antidotes within an hour from multiple sites in Washington across an international border to the emergency site in British Columbia. Funds from CDC's CHEMPACK program permitted WSDOH and BCMOH to store chemical antidotes at locations that were convenient to the Winter Olympics. ASPR funding aided in supporting the activities of partnering organizations.

Significant cross-border planning and collaboration was necessary to ensure that movement of chemical antidotes could happen quickly if needed. WSDOH worked extensively across jurisdictional lines with multiple agencies at the state, local, provincial, and federal levels to conduct exercises, review plans, and assure that notification process were established between agencies.

Within ten days of planning, WSDOH established firm connections and partnerships with each agency that had a stake in the process. This level of cross-border communication meant that all jurisdictions' needs were met and resources could move smoothly across international borders in event of an emergency.