May 26, 2006

PHD needs volunteers to play ‘patients’ in June exercise

COEUR d’ALENE – What if a major disease outbreak occurred in North Idaho, requiring thousands of people to receive medication? Hospitals, clinics and doctors offices would be overwhelmed. How would you and your family get the medicine you need?

Panhandle Health District is participating in a statewide exercise to practice the distribution and dispensing of medication to the public in an emergency and needs the public to help.

About 500 volunteers are needed to play 'patients' in the Idaho Strategic National Stockpile Full-Scale Exercise, which will be conducted June 29 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. The scenario for the exercise is a mock outbreak of an infectious disease, for which a public health emergency has been declared and medication must be dispensed to the public.

Volunteers will be shepherded through a medication dispensing station, answering medical history questions and receiving “medication” for the disease (actually a bag of M&Ms).

Volunteers should plan to arrive at the fairgrounds any time between 9:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on June 29. They will be bused to Coeur d’Alene High School, which is serving as the dispensing station for the exercise. Volunteers will be asked to spend about two hours participating in the exercise and will be bused back to the fairgrounds.

If you and your family would like to volunteer, please contact Karen Cotton, volunteer coordinator at Panhandle Health District, at 415-5185 or kcotton@phd1.state.id.us.