What if? Crook County preps for health crisis in novel way

How well would your community handle a widespread medical emergency? The Crook County Health Department wanted to find the answer that question, and did so in unusual fashion on Tuesday.

Officials set up a simulation at the Crook County Fairgrounds and invited the public to be part of it. The emergency scenario in this case was a n intentional release of the plague that no one would be vaccinated for.

” The point is so that we can be assured that our staff are ready to deal with this when it happens, ” said Vicky Ryan, the county health department’s emergency preparedness coordinator. ” With so many infectious diseases, and the emerging infectious diseases that we’re seeing in the U.S. now, it’s not a matter of ‘If’, it’s a matter of ‘When’. ”

Here’s how the actual emergency would be handled. T he health department identifies and isolates the disease through testing. T hen, it orders medication through the Strategic National Stockpile.

The goal is to distribute medication to a large number of people in a short amount of time. S o, a drive-thru would be set up, so people could stay in their cars while officials quickly hand out the medication. On Tuesday, however, they handed out bags that contained emergency preparedness information, as a thanks for taking part.

“It’s hard to prepare for mass casualty type things,” said Prineville Police Chief Dale Cummins. ” I think exercises like this help us to get as prepared as you possibly can for an event. It’s always going to be difficult if something like this occurs. ”

This is the first time Crook County has conducted such a large-scale exercise. Health Department officials said it’s important for both their staff and the community to be prepared for such an emergency.

” I think we have a really strong community here, ” said County Judge Seth Crawford, who took part in Tuesday’s drill. ” I think that’s something that I see every day. In any emergency, it’s one of the most important things. On the deficit side — resources. We are a smaller Central Oregon county, and not having all the equipment that some of the larger places do ” can be an issue.

More than 200 people participated in the exercise.