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New Port Richey council addresses H1N1 planning

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BY ERIC HORCHY

THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: October 31, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - City Council held a roughly hour long special meeting Thursday evening to better prepare New Port Richey and its residents in the event of a possible H1N1 outbreak.

Called to order on Monday by Mayor Scott McPherson, the meeting's main objective was to take proactive steps of preparation by bringing together officials from various citywide services and health facilities.

Officials such as Dr. David Johnson, the County Health Officer and Director of Pasco County Public Health Department, and Kathryn Gillette, CEO of Community Hospital of New Port Richey, were in attendance to address the council.

The meeting comes on the heels of McPherson sitting in on a conference call last week coordinated between the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and last Friday's declaration of national emergency by President Barack Obama in relation to swine flu.

Localizing the widely reported issue of an H1N1 vaccine and its availability, or lack thereof, Johnson said Pasco County has received about 18,000 doses thus far. About 10,500 of those doses have been distributed. He added that the county health department is expecting another shipment of 8,500 doses by next week.

Gillette touched on the issue of health care workers being a primary focus group for receiving vaccinations because of their constant close contact with patients. She said Community Hospital mandated that all staffers and volunteers in contact with patients must be vaccinated and those who refuse because of personal or religious beliefs must wear masks during shifts.

Gillette also assured the council that the facility's current contingency plan to deal with emergency circumstances has Community Hospital well prepared for any local outbreaks.

Throughout the meeting there was an oft conveyed air of appreciation by both speakers and council members for the assembly's preventative coordination efforts.

While addressing the council, Johnson said Pasco County is going to start a vaccination program in area schools during the first week of November. Younger people are considered to be at greater risk of succumbing to the H1N1 strain.

There are numerous places to go to find more information on H1N1. Online searches can be done by logging on to www.flu.gov or to www.myflusafety.com, a Florida Department of Health Web site. Questions can also be asked over the phone by calling the FDH hotline at 1-877-352-3581.

Eric Horchy can be reached at 727-815-1071 or ehorchy@suncoastnews.com.

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