By Kelly Puente
The Press-Telegram
LONG BEACH, Calif. — How quickly would your state or local health department respond in a pandemic?
New data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control shows that state and local health departments are making significant gains in the areas of emergency preparedness and response capabilities.
The report, called Public Health Preparedness: Strengthening the Nation’s Emergency Response State by State, analyzed data on a range of preparedness and response activities for health departments in 50 states and the four localities of Los Angeles County, Chicago, the District of Columbia and New York City.
A few highlights included:
Nearly 90 percent of states and localities (including California and Los Angeles County) demonstrated the ability to rapidly respond for disaster drills, exercises and real emergency incidents.
72 percent of chemical laboratories demonstrated proficiency in detecting and measuring exposure to chemical agents.
94 percent of biological laboratories passed proficiency tests for detecting biological agents.
All states and localities were able to receive and investigate urgent disease reports 24 hours a day.
Officials say the report provides a better understanding of national and state challenges in preparedness for all types of disasters including natural, biological, nuclear and chemical.
"(The report) indicates that our nation is better prepared to respond to a public health emergency. It also reminds us that preparedness challenges remain and our efforts need to continue,” said Dr. Ali Khan, director of CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response.
One of the key challenges identified in the report is that many health departments are not yet adequately prepared for outbreaks and other public health emergencies that may occur simultaneously.
Long Beach, one of only three cities in the state with its own health department, was not analyzed in the report.
Dr. Anne Anglim, medical director of the Long Beach Health Department’s Public Health Emergency Management Program, said the city has laboratories with the ability to detect and measure exposure to chemical and biological agents.
The city’s capabilities of handling a pandemic were tested last year during the H1N1 outbreak, and the outcome, she said, was “nothing short of heroic.”
“Everyone learned a ton through the whole process,” she said.
As soon as the H1N1 vaccine was available last year, the city set up large-scale clinics where thousands were vaccinated, she said, adding that residents of Orange and L.A. counties even came to the clinics because of the easy access. The department sent out mobile clinics to reach those unable to see a doctor.
During the onset of the outbreak, laboratory staff worked overtime testing samples to get an accurate snapshot of the number of flu cases. They also provided weekly updates for state and city officials.
“We were supremely ready and we now know that we can respond,” Anglim said.
“Long Beach has a distinct advantage by having its own health department,” she added. “We’re able to directly communicate with constituents and health providers. We tend to be more accessible, and we know our city intimately.”
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