The Cambridge Public Health Department hosted a public health preparedness Advanced Practice Center (APC) from 2004 through September 2009. During this time, the Cambridge APC developed innovative training materials and other resources for local and county health departments across the country.
Emergency Mass Prophylaxis Operations
The following resources support the planning and workforce development activities for Region 4b's 27 local public health departments.
Pictogram-based Signs for Mass Prophylaxis Services
In an emergency, service and process information within a point of distribution (POD) or emergency dispensing site (EDS) must be clearly communicated to clients. Ensuring that information is accessible improves efficiency, decreases client anxiety, and expands usability by at-risk populations.
In 2007, the Cambridge Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness developed a series of pictograms designed to promote universal access to emergency dispensing sites services. The signs were developed in collaboration with local and state public health professionals, and experts in universal design and accessibility.
List of signs 
For more information about producing these signs for your POD or EDS, please email apc@naccho.org.
Emergency Dispensing Site (EDS) Action Plan Template
The Emergency Dispensing Site Action Plan Template (version 1.5) is an all-hazards post-exposure prophylaxis response plan capable of addressing a range of public health threats. This planning template lays out a process for planning, opening, operating, and closing an emergency dispensing site (EDS) or dispensing vaccination center (DVC). It also includes critical plan elements, such as job action sheets and incident response forms.
EDS Action Plan Template, version 1.5 (MS Word)
Instructions for using and customizing EDS Action Plan Template (PDF)
Incident Management Team Training
This introductory training for the Incident Management Team develops participants' knowledge and skill in managing mass prophylaxis operations. The training draws on participant experience and expertise, and encourages participants to identify their learning needs. The training is suitable for senior managers or supervisors with limited time. Curriculum materials complement the EDS Action Plan Template, version 1.5.
Emergency Dispensing Site Incident Management Team Introductory Training (MS Word)
Training Part A (PowerPoint)
Training Part B (PowerPoint)
Staff Training
The Cambridge Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Access Umbrella Inc., developed a training series that teaches participants (e.g., Medical Reserve Corps volunteers) how to use job action sheets, work within the chain of command, troubleshoot bottle necks, and identify client barriers to service. These trainings are highly interactive experiences that build knowledge and skills through teamwork and group problem-solving. Two versions of the curriculum are provided. One version presented in Point of Distribution language and the other using Emergency Dispensing Site language.
Staff Training Curriculum, EDS version (PDF)
Staff Training Curriculum, POD version (MS Word)
Decontamination Operations
Decontamination Communicator
The Decontamination Communicator is an 8 ½" x 14" laminated card that facilitates communication between responders and victims. The card is designed for standard decontamination operations, as well as radiation reception centers.
The Decon Communicator was created in consultation with consumers and experts from the service community. Subject matter experts who contributed to this project include personnel from the Cambridge Fire Department, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mount Auburn Hospital (Cambridge, MA), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, the Shriver Center, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Decontamination Communicator, 2011 (PDF) | MS Word
Decontamination Signs
Public Health Mutual Aid: Making It Happen
The Cambridge Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness developed these materials to aid local health departments in creating public health mutual aid agreements. These materials have been used to develop and implement a public health mutual aid agreement in a 27-community region in Massachusetts.
Mutual Aid Agreement Process
A Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement: White Paper (PDF)
Mutual Aid Agreement Materials
Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement: A Template (PDF)
Explanation of a Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement (PDF)
Scenarios for Use of a Public Health Mutual Aid Agreement (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions: Public Health Mutual Aid (PDF)
Leadership and Advocacy Training
This section offers technical education about the agreement and provides a forum for developing implementation plans. The materials can be readily adapted to build advocacy capacity for other local issues.
Making Mutual Aid Happen: A Leadership & Advocacy Training (PowerPoint)
Case Example (PDF)
Participant Evaluation Form (PDF)
Trainer Evaluation Form (PDF)
Regional Coordination
Local Health Departments have generated a significant amount of information for emergency planning and response. This application was built to store the information that a regional administrator, who supports multiple jurisdictions, wants to have readily accessible to aid in planning for and supporting a regional response to a public health event. Ready for download, and fully modifiable, the Regional Resources Database currently supports planning activities for Massachusetts Region 4b's administrative staff.
To view the MS Access database file, save and extract the .zip file which contains the
.mbd database file for use with the MS Access program
Regional Resources Database (MS Access)
Exercises
Full Scale Exercises
Service-based Full Scale Exercises (FSE) are multi-agency events that are planned, resourced, run, and recovered from using emergency response practices like Emergency Dispensing Sites (EDS), incident command, a joint information center, and Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. Local health departments in Massachusetts Public Health Emergency Preparedness Region 4b have successfully used service-based FSE's to assess preparedness plans and capabilities while providing public health services to their communities. Past exercises have measured EDS throughput rates, assessed the effectiveness of just-in-time training, community outreach and inter-municipal resource pooling while increasing the accessibility and availability of influenza, pneumococcal, or tetanus vaccination services. In keeping with the best practices of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), these exercises are carefully planned projects with a conscientious focus on measuring process and outcome objectives, documenting lessons learned, and committing to actions that address inefficiencies and resource or planning gaps.
The following are tools designed to help manage and complete a service-based FSE project:
Template Exercise and Evaluation Plan (MS Word)
Template After Action Report and Improvement Plan (AAR/IP) (MS Word)
Communities are best served by service-based FSE's when exercise goals and objectives are set within the context of a multi-year preparedness program. Ideally, any service-based FSE will exercise an operation on the heels of smaller events (e.g., drills, table tops, or workshops) that focused on either developing or measuring a single capability or activity. The Department of Homeland Security provides tools and instruction on how to set a FSE within the context of a multi-year training and exercise program as well as guidance in writing objectives and designing an evaluation.
Example Service-based Full Scale Exercises:
Annual Flu Clinic/Full Scale Exercis, Sub-region 2 (MS Word)
Tabletop Exercises
The Avian Overture: How pandemic training builds public health and safety partnerships (PDF)
Revised on April 12, 2012
