Federal guidance and assessment methods for medical countermeasure (MCM) planning have progressively expanded over the last two decades. In response to enhanced capability, more rigorous grant requirements, and emerging health threats, local health departments (LHDs) have continued to develop innovative and inclusive ways for safe and rapid dispensation of medications during emergencies throughout their their jurisdictions. The 2017 Preparedness Summit will feature a variety of sessions highlighting recent advancements made at the local, state, and federal levels on MCM related topics.

Session Spotlight: MCM Link Session
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with NACCHO and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), is hosting a workshop, titled, “Medical Countermeasures (MCM) Link Session: Linking You Directly to CDC MCM Program Information for Public Health Professionals,” on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 from 1:30-5:00 pm. The workshop is designed to provide relevant federal updates on MCM guidance, the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) formulary, MCM Operational Readiness Review (ORR) implementation, the On-TRAC technical assistance portal, MCM initiatives, and relevant preparedness trainings. All persons serving as the primary MCM/SNS planner or Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) director at the state, regional, territorial, or local level are eligible and strongly encouraged to attend.

Interested participants much pre-register for this workshop, which can be completed as a part of the general registration process via the Preparedness Summit website. As a reminder, online registration ends on Friday, April 14. Those who are already registered for the conference should have received an email when registration opened for individual workshops (March 29, 2017). For questions about this workshop, please contact Raymond Puerini ([email protected]). See this flyer for the tentative agenda and more information.

MCM Track Session Listing
In addition to Tuesday’s MCM Link workshop, there will be a number of MCM learning sessions, workshops, and a quick hit presentation, which will be taking place over the course of the entire Preparedness Summit. Titles, dates, and times for these opportunities are listed below. Please visit the full conference schedule to view additional information and begin adding sessions of interest to your personalized Preparedness Summit calendar.

Tuesday, April 25

• Just in Time Manual for Closed Points of Dispensing, 10:30 am-12:00 pm, Learning Session
• Medical Countermeasures (MCM) Link Session: Linking You Directly to CDC MCM Program Information for Public Health Professionals, 1:30 pm-5:00 pm, Workshop

Wednesday, April 26

• One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Considerations for Dispensing Incident-Specific Medical Countermeasures: Plan All-Hazards, but Include Incident-Specific Strategies, 8:30-10:00 am, Learning Session
• The Massive Gap: Addressing the Respiratory Protective Device Gap in a Pandemic Emergency, 8:30-10:00 am, Learning Session
• On-TRAC: Online Technical Resource and Assistance Center, 8:30-10:00 am, Learning Session
• Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Administration Capacity Planning Tool, 1:30-3:00 pm, Learning Session
• Building Elasticity into the Medical Supply Chain in Emergency Public Health Preparedness and Response, 1:30 -3:00 pm, Learning Session
• Tools for More Efficient Response Resource Allocation: A Demonstration of RealOpt and TourSolver Optimization for Medical Countermeasure Planners, 1:30-3:00 pm, Learning Session
• Practical Steps for Health Departments to Include Pharmacies in Preparedness Efforts, 1:30-5:00 pm, Workshop
• Beyond the Last Mile: Monitoring and Assessing Medical Countermeasure Use in Response to Public Health Emergencies, 3:30 -4:15 pm, Quick Hits

Thursday, April 27

• From Bench to Bloodstream: Federal Priorities for Medical Countermeasure Development and Use in Public Health Emergencies, 10:30 am-12:00 pm, Learning Session
• Strategies for Integrating Comprehensive Radiation Preparedness into Existing PHEP Programs, 10:30 am-12:00 pm, Learning Session
• Critical Factors for a Successful Partnership with Pharmacies to Improve Countermeasure Distribution and Dispensing during an Influenza Pandemic, 3:30-5:00 pm, Learning Session
• Is your jurisdiction prepared to track countermeasures during a public health emergency? Be ready with the Inventory Management and Tracking System (IMATS) and Countermeasure and Response Administration (CRA), 3:30-5:00 pm, Learning Session

Friday, April 28

• Practical Applications for Supporting Local Jurisdictions in Building Medical Countermeasure Operational Readiness, 8:30-10:00 am, Learning Session