# 694
I've been following Scottsdale's planning for this week long drill for a couple of months. You can read previous posts about it here and here.
Flu disaster drill set for Scottsdale
Kate Nolan
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 23, 2007 08:44 AMTwo hundred volunteers will fake cases of bird flu Wednesday at Scottsdale Healthcare hospitals.
It's part of the Coyote Crisis Campaign, a five-day regional disaster drill that's testing the area's readiness for a pandemic flu outbreak.
In addition to Scottsdale Healthcare, the exercise involves city, county and state governments, Luke Air Force Base, Air National Guard, General Dynamics, Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix.
Scottsdale Healthcare trauma coordinator Terra Nair said the challenge of a flu disaster is two-pronged:
• Controlling the spread of infection.
• Trying to conduct business with a workforce reduced by as much as 40 percent.
"In a real pandemic," Nair said, "schools, theaters and other place where people gather are closed."
But some businesses have to stay up and running.
Rule No. 1 is keeping sick people at home, Nair said.
But what happens when the workforce becomes diminished?
Some answers will be provided to local companies at a Business Survival Forum, 2 p.m. Fridayat Scottsdale City Hall.
Panelists include: Dr. Bob England, Medical Director of the Maricopa County Public Health Dept.; Jim Cramer, chief information officer of Scottsdale Healthcare; and Deb Ellis, director of risk management for Scottsdale Insurance Co.
