Running Title: Simulating a Mass Vaccination Clinic
ABSTRACT
To react to an outbreak of a contagious disease that requires medication or vaccination, county health departments must setup and operate mass dispensing and vaccination clinics. Carefully planning these clinics before an event occurs is a difficult and important job. Two key considerations are the capacity of each clinic (measured as the number of patients served per hour) and the time (in minutes) spent by patients in the clinic. This paper discusses a simulation study done to support this planning effort. Based on data from a time study of a vaccination clinic exercise, a simulation model was used to evaluate alternatives to the clinic …show more content…
MASS VACCINATION CLINIC EXERCISE
Operation Dagwood, a mock mass vaccination clinic exercise, was performed on June 21, 2004 by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS). This drill was created to simulate the emergency procedures in store for mass vaccination in the event of a widespread outbreak of the smallpox virus. The clinic was setup at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. No actual vaccinations were given. Nurses at the vaccination station simulated the smallpox vaccination step by poking each patient’s arm with coffee stirrers.
In this full-scale exercise, 152 workers and volunteers worked as professional, command, and administrative staff. Physicians, Registered Nurses, health professionals and pharmacists as members of the Volunteer Medical Reserve Corp went through the clinic as patients first before taking their posts in the clinic as workers. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue provided an ambulance crew, and Montgomery County Law Enforcement provided security at the clinic.
Volunteers from the local workforce and community served as patients. County workers and especially Public Health staff were encouraged to participate with their families. A number brought elderly family members and children, and the volunteers included individuals with physical disabilities. A local newspaper covered the exercise as well