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| Rush
Health Associates’ Third Annual Employer Symposium March
29, 2006 brought together employers, providers and
government leaders to address issues employers face
preparing for widespread illness such as pandemic flu or bio-terrorism. . |
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| Symposium
attendees learned about the influenza virus and
why world health experts are concerned avian flu
could become the next human pandemic. The possible
impact of a pandemic flu on Chicago businesses and
the area’s health system was considered.
Recommendations were made for infection control at
the work place and strategies for business
continuity. Rush University Medical Center’s
designation as a Center of Excellence for
Bio-Preparedness was discussed. |
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Information was
presented about the federal government’s pandemic
preparedness and issues such as quarantine,
vaccine production and government stockpiling of
antiviral medications were addressed. “This is not
Y2K over again” said Mr. O’Brien who encouraged
employers to take the threat of pandemic flu
seriously. He stressed the need for each employer
and individual family to develop their own
disaster plan because help from outside Chicago
could not be guaranteed.
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| A presentation by Dr. Terry
Mason, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of
Public Health was distributed explaining the
federal, state and local roles and
responsibilities in panflu planning and response. |
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| Employers shared strategies for: |
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managing employees’ use
of pharmacy benefits to stock pile anti-viral
drugs
establishing ways to
maintain contact with employees during disaster
situations
developing
communications materials and setting up trigger
points for when these would be used
disaster response lessons learned from 9/11, Katrina and the London bombings.
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| SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM INFORMATION
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Stephanie Black, M.D.
Rush Health Associates
and Assistant Professor of Medicine
Section of
Infectious Disease
Rush University Medical Center
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Douglas O’Brien
Regional Director
U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services
Office of the
Secretary, Region V |
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LCDR Michelle Watters,
M.D., PhD, MPH
Regional Emergency Coordinator,
Region V
U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services
Office of Public Health Emergency
Preparedness |
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Judy Hearn
Manager,
Health and Welfare
Pactiv
Corporation |
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John Reschke
Vice
President, Employee Benefits
Aon
Corporation |
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