Wright County Public Health is seeking 200 adult volunteers for a drill on Friday, June 26, 2015. Public health will be testing their ability to provide antibiotics to the entire county population in an emergency. In a two-hour period, from noon to 2 p.m., volunteers will go through a mass dispensing clinic set up at St. Michael-Albertville High School. The exercise will help local public health agencies practice plans developed for just this situation.
This event is in conjunction with a statewide drill involving the entire Twin City metropolitan area. Multiple counties across the region will be involved in the exercise at four sites including Wright County. Public health agencies participating at the Wright County site are Wright, Sherburne, Isanti, Chisago, Mille Lacs, and Hennepin. Over 100 public health staff will be participating in roles from greeters, screeners, supply staff, ushers, medical dispensers, and command officers.
People of all ages, 18 and over, are needed. The volunteer will go through the mock clinic as if they were receiving antibiotics for an illness. On the day of the drill, registration is at 11:15 a.m. with lunch provided before a short orientation. From noon to 2 p.m., the volunteer actors will go through the mass dispensing clinic set up in the high school gym. Each person will be given cards saying what their health status is and go through the clinic several times portraying different types of people by age and health status. The intent is to give public health staff the opportunity to determine what type of antibiotics would be dispensed depending on the health condition a person has, if they are adult or child, if they have allergies, etc.
Register today to see Wright County Public Health in action. The Wright County website main page has a link to register on-line at www.co.wright.mn.us or call Terri at Wright County Public Health to register by phone. 763-682-7516.
The St. Michael-Albertville High School is located at 5800 Jamison Avenue NE in St. Michael. Additional participants come from Wright County Health and Human Services, Wright County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management, the Minnesota Department of Health and St. Michael-Albertville High School. Partial funding is provided by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Public Health Emergency Preparedness.