King County Healthcare Coalition
Planning Areas Special Advisory Groups / Clinical Planning Groups
Infectious Disease Workgroup
OBJECTIVES
- Provides consultation to Coalition Medical Directors to inform policy and guideline development.
- Develops guidance on clinical and infection control issues when needed and in the absence of other federal or authoritative guidance (i.e., triage and clinical management, hospital stockpiling and use of antiviral drugs, antimicrobial drugs and vaccine.)
- Provides guidance on infection control and personal protective measures for communicable diseases.
- Delivers training and education for clinicians and disseminate guidelines and recommendations within their healthcare systems and practice settings.
- Participates in facility-specific pandemic planning efforts.
- Serves as spokespersons to the public and leaders in their facilities during communicable disease emergencies.
Legal Workgroup
OBJECTIVES
- Guidance to other Workgroups, Executive Council, and Steering Committee about current state and federal laws/rules that relate to public health emergencies.
- Products and strategies for education of the legal community, including attorneys who advise Coalition members and members of the judiciary.
OTHER TOOLS
Medical Directors Committee
OBJECTIVES
- Develop and/or review clinical care guidance related to health emergencies as necessary.
- Assure multi-disciplinary review from appropriate stakeholders at healthcare facilities on Coalition issues, guidelines and policies related to clinical practices.
Methadone Preparedness Workgroup
Members: Key stakeholders in methadone treatment administration and opioid substitution programs.
OBJECTIVES
- Engage in mitigation and planning activities to ensure continuity of care during emergencies or disasters for those enrolled in an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) in King County.
- Develop plans for responding to community members who experience opiate withdrawal related to a community-wide emergency or disaster, yet are not enrolled in a treatment program.
OTHER TOOLS
Minutes
King County Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP) Summit -
November 16, 2007
King County Methadone Preparedness Workgroup - February
1, 2008
King County Methadone Preparedness Workgroup - March 14,
2008
King County Methadone Preparedness Workgroup - August 1,
2008
King County Methadone Preparedness Workgroup - October
10, 2008
Palliative Care Workgroup
Members: Representatives from the Palliative Care Community
OBJECTIVES
- Document existing palliative care and hospice care providers in King County and their current capacity.
- Identify potential gaps and weaknesses in the current palliative care system to respond to a public health disaster in King County.
- Develop recommendations for potential strategies to increase access to palliative care and hospice in King County in an influenza pandemic, addressing both organizational and regional surge capacity strategies.
- Develop a palliative care and hospice care coordination plan that is standardized for the healthcare response, including the following components:
- A regional agreement among participating organizations
- A communications and coordination protocol
- An activation and deactivation plan that is coordinated with the Healthcare Coalition
- A diagram of regional linkages
- A list of provider emergency contact information
- Develop a just-in-time palliative care training program for use in alternate care facilities and for lay caregivers in other settings.
Pharmaceutical Task Force
Members: Physicians and Pharmaceutical specialists
OBJECTIVES
The Pharmacy Task Force for Alternate Care Facilities (ACF’s) will assist the Healthcare Coalition to develop an essential drug list and establish guidance for interactions between ACFs and pharmacy wholesalers and the pharmacy community.
- Identify scope and level of pharmacy services within Alternative Care Facilities (ACF)
- Develop an essential drug list for ACFs
- Establish guidance for interactions between ACFs, the pharmacy practice community, and drug wholesalers, including:
- Resupply of medications and new drug procurements
- Continuity/interface with community pharmacies
- Pre-event agreements
- Patient safety and protocols
- Tracking
OTHER TOOLS
ACF Formulary
(Updated 11/2007)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Acute Care Center, Modular Emergency Medical System:
Concept of Operations for the Acute Care Center
Disaster Modeling: Medication Resources Required for
Disaster Team Response
Puget Sound Call Center Coordination
To increase capacity, a consortium of existing medical and non-medical call centers, including staff/volunteers working from home, will be networked to provide phone triage as well as disseminate up to date health information to the general public. Medical call centers that will provide telephone triage include hospital-based nurse advice lines and consulting nurse services as well as the Washington Poison Center. Those callers with medical needs will be directed to the most appropriate venue or managed over the phone at home by way of physician-reviewed guidelines and/or algorithms. Non-medical call centers such as 2-1-1, clinic scheduling services and customer support lines may be utilized to disseminate basic scripted health information as well. King County is planning to pilot the project locally with the intent of further developing a coordinated statewide effort by the end of 2009.
OBJECTIVES
-
Accurately triage people with medical needs and direct
them to the most appropriate venue.
- Reduce the number of outpatient visits so that services can be maintained for those who require face-to-face visits with clinicians.
- Reduce transmission of contagious diseases at outpatient healthcare sites by redirecting people away from those settings unless the benefit of the visit outweighs the potential risks to them and others.
- Provide up-to-date information for the public regarding pertinent health issues and interventions during emergencies.
OTHER TOOLS
Puget Sound Call Center Coordination Project -
CONCEPTUAL MODEL
