OIG: At least five states aren't pandemic-ready

The HHS Office of the Inspector General has just released a report concluding that at least five states aren't ready for a pandemic such as the H1N1 virus, despite six years of funding and planning efforts. Given how soon a surge in H1N1 flu cases could occur, this is definitely bad news.

The report, State and Local Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Medical Surge, concludes that a total of 10 localities within the five states wouldn't be able to handle a pandemic flu outbreak.

While all of the localities had partnerships in place to handle a medical surge, not all of them had good coordination plans in place, the OIG reported. Less than half of the localities had begun recruiting medical volunteers, and none of the five states in question had an electronic system in place to manage such efforts.

Other problems the OIG found included a lack of systems to track beds and equipment needed to manage a pandemic; little effort exerted in planning for alternate care sites; and little, if any, creation of guidelines for triage, admission and patient care during a medical surge.

To learn more about the OIG's conclusions:
- read the agency's report (.pdf)

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