Somerville puts its plan to handle a health crisis to the test

By Andrea Gregory

Dee Dee Barnard was at the front of the line when the Somerville Health Department opened its doors Thursday evening for a mock emergency vaccination clinic.

It was 5 p.m. and Barnard was among the first to filter in to the Winter Hill Community School, doubling as if it were emergency vaccination center. City workers and health volunteers were prepared to take on 200 people and treat the situation as though it was a real emergency, perhaps a flu pandemic or an airborne disease outbreak. It was the city’s first test on how it would handle such health threats to the community.

Although it was only a test, the vaccinations were real. Barnard took advantage of both the tetanus and pneumonia vaccinations being offered.

Adults should be given tetanus shots every 10 years. The shots work to prevent tetanus, a disease that can be fatal and causes painful muscle spasms. It also helps to prevent diphtheria that can lead to serious breathing problems and be fatal. Staying up to date with immunizations is particularly important for people who work outside such as landscapers or construction workers.

Pneumonia vaccinations are aimed at preventing certain bacterial diseases. The elderly population and people suffering from chronic illness are seen particularly as a target group for this shot.

Health Director Noreen Burke said measuring the city’s ability to handle a disaster is an important element to maintaining the overall health and safety of the community. Burke said the main areas officials planned to grade themselves on were the flow and speed in which residents could be processed and shots could be administered, the ability to help and assist a diverse population and how well officials were able to get the word out.

City and health officials say they are pleased with Thursday’s run. Burke said it was a success with 145 shots administered and 110 people taking advantage of the free vaccination and helping the city to gauge just how prepared it is to handle a true emergency. Officials plan to go over resident comments and further analyze data collected throughout the night in the near future, she said.

“The crowd wasn’t huge, but the diversity of the people we served was impressive,” said Burke.

For residents who came to the drill, the threat of a pandemic or what the city’s response would be took a back seat to the business at hand. Barnard was there for her free vaccines. She said she normally receives vaccinations from her doctor. However, with a strong push by city officials to advertise the drill, people like her showed up at the Winter Hill Community School on Sycamore Street.

Barnard said there were flyers floating around her work at the Somerville Police station.

“It’s a wonderful thing especially for the seniors,” she said

Seniors were only one of the target groups, and the crowd illustrated the city was able to reach out to many different walks of life.

Outside the temporary clinic several residents were making there way into the building. Many came with flyers in hand in an array of different languages. City officials said they did not want language to be a barrier for a large segment of the population, and in a real emergency, residents who do not speak English would need to be informed as well.

Other communities may soon be testing their ability to handle a health emergency, and the possibility of region tests also are thought to have a benefit, said Homeland Security Coordinator for Somerville Tom Graney.

“It’s a local show right now,” he said, watching Somerville residents and workers go through a routine similar to how things would be carried out if a true pandemic were to strike. “This is aimed at (preparing for) the pandemic flu, influenza or smallpox if that was introduced to the public some way. This is a large drill that the city is running tonight. All the needed disciplines are here working together.”

Among city health staffers were medical reserve crews, fire, police and volunteers, around 50 workers altogether.

Graney said this was the first time the city was using a new protocol and medical
reserve workers in a situationlike this.

Halfway through the drill Barbara Carney, who works as a school nurse, was busy loading up vaccination shots. She seemed to have adopted a flow to the task.

“I’ve given a lot of shots in my time,” said Carney. “The more people we can help out the less people get sick.”

Carney said she was pleased with the turnout but also saw the bigger picture in hosting these sorts of practice drills.

“It’s getting us ready,” she said. “The more we practice, the better off we’ll be when the time comes.”