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Pandemic & Emergency Preparedness Seminar

Tuesday, July 13–Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Omni Shoreham • Washington, D.C.

Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Seminar Highlights

Distributed in the July 20, 2010 edition of the HDMA Weekly Digest

HDMA and Rx Response’s Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness seminar convened last week in Washington, D.C. The seminar provided an opportunity for supply chain professionals, risk management experts and public health officials to review and discuss lessons learned from recent emergency responses and how to enhance all-hazards preparedness plans and collaborate in the future.

Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provided the seminar’s keynote presentation. She thanked attendees for working with the federal government to respond to recent emergencies, including the H1N1 influenza pandemic and Haitian earthquake relief effort. Looking back on the H1N1 influenza pandemic response, Dr. Lurie noted, “It is amazing what we collectively achieved.”

Dr. Lurie highlighted what was learned during influenza pandemic response — from the need for flexibility to establishing partnerships and maintaining open lines of communication — and indicated that these lessons can extend to all hazard responses. She concluded that the federal government needs to continue to research supply chain issues to fine-tune future preparedness plans.

Following Dr. Lurie, the seminar featured several expert panels and presentations on a variety of preparedness topics.

On the seminar’s first day, a panel of public officials, including Sue Anderson of Infrastructure Protection at the Department of Homeland Security and Nitin Natarajan of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations at HHS, focused on how the public and private sectors can effectively work together to respond to a crisis. Dr. Erin Mullen of Rx Response served as the panel’s moderator.

Anderson and Natarajan noted how the federal government is working to understand supply chain issues and promote information sharing between the public and private sectors, including setting up the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) and other groups to discuss infrastructure issues in confidence, as well as sponsoring ongoing research to assess vulnerabilities and potential impacts on the supply chain. Each stressed that it is important for the private sector to take part in infrastructure discussions at the national level, so government officials can continue to learn from the industry.

On the second day, Greg Burel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jennifer Sinibaldi of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO); Greg Stalnaker of 3M; Chris Alverson of McKesson; and Denny Murray of Walgreens discussed the challenges and successes surrounding the distribution of antivirals and medical products during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Burel kicked off the discussion with insights on the management of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) during the pandemic and the creation of a dashboard — a collaborative project between federal, state and local governments and the commercial supply chain to communicate stock levels of specific products on an ongoing basis. Panelists also highlighted what worked well and the challenges encountered at each level of government and in the supply chain and discussed ways to enhance information sharing and communication in the future.

Rounding out the program was a panel on preparedness issues in the commercial supply chain, featuring Patrick DeGrace of Hospira Worldwide; Dr. Greene Shepherd of the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy; Angie Thomas of Cardinal Health; and Victor Vercammen of SuperValu Pharmacies. Each panelist spoke to their preparedness planning experiences, identified challenges — from the manufacturer, distributor and retailer/dispenser perspective — and recognized the shared opportunities of continuing education for each segment and the benefits of coming together as a total supply chain to continue to communicate and plan for an unexpected crisis.

The seminar also featured several interactive roundtable discussions on topics ranging from the possibility of a New Madrid Fault Line disaster, physical security issues for facilities, the challenges and logistics involved in the creation of a distribution system following the Haitian earthquake, a debrief on the H1N1 influenza pandemic, reimbursement issues in the retail sector, an overview of international risk issues and more.

HDMA is grateful for the support of the organizations listed below, without which the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness seminar would not have been possible. 

Rx Response (Seminar Co-Sponsor)

Genentech, Inc. (General Sponsor)

Supporting Organizations:

American Hospital Association (AHA)
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA)
Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA)
National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS)
National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

For a list of all of HDMA’s upcoming educational offerings, visit www.HealthcareDistribution.org/education.asp.