RCW 70.26.040 Local preparedness and response plans—Consultation with public, private sector—Department to provide technical assistance and disburse funds.

(1) Each local health jurisdiction shall develop its pandemic flu preparedness and response plan based on the requirements and performance standards established under RCW 70.26.030(1) and an assessment of the jurisdiction's current capacity to respond to pandemic flu. The plan shall be developed in consultation with appropriate public and private sector partners, including departments of emergency management, law enforcement, school districts, hospitals and medical professionals, tribal governments, and business organizations. At a minimum, each plan shall address:

(a) Strategies to educate the public about the consequences of influenza pandemic and what each person can do to prepare, including the adoption of universal infectious disease prevention practices and maintaining appropriate emergency supplies;

(b) Jurisdiction-wide disease surveillance programs, coordinated with state and federal efforts, to detect pandemic influenza strains in humans and animals, including health care provider compliance with reportable conditions requirements, and investigation and analysis of reported illness or outbreaks;

(c) Communication systems, including the availability of and access to specialized communications equipment by health officials and community leaders, and the use of mass media outlets;

(d) Mass vaccination plans and protocols to rapidly administer vaccine and monitor vaccine effectiveness and safety;

(e) Guidelines for the utilization of antiviral medications for the treatment and prevention of influenza;

(f) Implementation of nonmedical measures to decrease the spread of the disease as guided by the epidemiology of the pandemic, including increasing adherence to public health advisories, voluntary social isolation during outbreaks, and health officer orders related to quarantines;

(g) Medical system mobilization, including improving the linkages and coordination of emergency responses across health care organizations, and assuring the availability of adequate facilities and trained personnel;

(h) Strategies for maintaining social order and essential community services while limiting the spread of disease throughout the duration of the pandemic; and

(i) The jurisdiction's relative priorities related to implementation of the above activities, based on available funding.

(2) To the extent state or federal funds are provided for this purpose, the department, in consultation with the state director of emergency management, shall provide technical assistance and disburse funds as needed, based on the formula developed under RCW 70.26.060, to support local health jurisdictions in developing their pandemic flu preparedness and response plans.

[ 2006 c 63 § 4.]