Tracking Infectious Disease Across Bordersin the Pacific Northwest

Wayne Turnberg, PhC, MSPHWashington State Department of Health

Cross-Border WorkshopsBellingham, WA Tracking Infectious Disease Across BordersAugust 9-11, 2004

Vancouver, BC Pandemic Influenza PreparednessApril 18-20, 2005

GoalEstablish a seamless cross-border / cross-jurisdictional public health infectious disease surveillance and response network

Participant Jurisdictions

Target AudienceEpidemiologistsPublic Health LabsPublic Health LawyersHospital and Health AuthoritiesRisk CommunicatorsEmergency Managers

Charge to ParticipantsBuild and strengthen relationshipsUnderstand response systems across bordersIdentify obstacles to a seamless responseIdentify actions needed to overcome obstacles

Workshop Breakout SessionsDiscipline-specific workgroupsMulti-discipline groups (cross-pollination):SurveillanceInfection controlSurge capacityRisk communicationBorder quarantine

Obstacles to OvercomeLegal issuesCross-border consistency PoliciesMessageResourcesInclusion of tribal governments

Keeping the MomentumEstablish working committees to address obstaclesAssign staff to committeesEstablish workplans / timelines / deadlinesWork towards building MOUs and written agreements

Accomplishments24/7 emergency contact listElectronic connectivityBC-CDC added to CDC Epi-X electronic alerting systemAdjacent states and provinces being added to Washington state SECURES electronic health alert networkContinued cross-border communicationSurveillance plans for the 2010 Olympics in Whistler, BCAnnual cross-border workshops

Written Agreements / MOUsEmergency Management Assistance CompactMutual emergency assistance between states (1996)

Pacific NW Emergency Management Arrangement (PNEMA)AK, ID, OR, WA, BC, Yukon April 1, 1996

PNEMA Implementing Procedures (Annex B)Being developed (Western Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee)

Written Agreements / MOUsPublic Health Annex (Proposed to PNEMA)Address public health issues

Public Health Laboratory MOUAK, ID, OR, WA (2005)Plans for developing an MOU with BC

Pacific NW Workshop Summary Reports2004, 2005Electronic copies are available by contacting: Wayne Turnberg, WA Dept of Health Tel: (206) 522-0132 Email: Wayne.Turnberg@doh.wa.gov