DOH members help make vaccination drill a success
By DEBORAH A. MILES
Many of the 450 volunteers who worked at the Empire State Plaza in Albany in a mass vaccination program that is a part of a training exercise called “ProtEX NY” were PEF members.
Some reviewed applications, some administered vaccines and others worked as public information or safety officers.
The exercise was conducted by the state Department of Health on November 9 not only to administer free flu shots, but also to gain experience in vaccinating a large number of people in a short time to prepare for a naturally occurring or terrorist-related infectious disease outbreak.
TAKES A SECOND — PEF Div. 205 member Lorraine Benton administers a flu shot to Jim McLaughlin, a Health Department associate program analyst, at the November 9 mass vaccination drill at the Empire State Plaza convention center. — Photo by Deborah A. Miles
“This is about finding the flaws in a mass vaccination effort to protect the employees of New York,” said Eileen Franko, a PEF Division 205 member who volunteered as a safety officer and is a research scientist at DOH.
The drill, however, went off without a hitch and was treated as though it was an actual emergency with tight security.
Approximately 1,755 people received their shots, as volunteers were stationed at every point in the Convention Center checking identification and paperwork and directing individuals to available screeners and vaccinators. Each hour, 180 people were vaccinated with no waiting lines.
Initial planning for the exercise began last March, and was fine-tuned during the three months prior to the actual drill.
“We’re looking ahead,” Franko said. “By taking time now, we know we will be ready if something ever happens.”
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