MSA’s Homeland Security & Emergency Management Program provided subcontract support to the Washington DC Department of Health (DOH) Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Administration (HEPRA) during the first Closed Point-of-Dispensing (POD) full-scale exercise.
Man-Machine Systems Assessment Inc. (MSA) Homeland Security and Emergency Management Program provided subcontract support as lead controllers and evaluators to DC DOH HEPRA for the first Closed Point-of-Dispensing (POD) exercise. This project, funded through the “Cities Readiness Initiative” is a federal grant program administered by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). The purpose is to advance planning and preparedness in the largest metropolitan cities in the U.S. to rapidly distribute antibiotic medications in a public health emergency.
Closed PODs, staffed by volunteers, serve to decompress public demand at Open PODs by diverting as much as 50% of potential traffic. Individuals at Closed POD locations will also be able to pick up medications for family members.
This Closed POD Mass Dispensing Exercise was designed to establish a learning environment for dispensing operations for discreet populations associated with their employer, university, and temporary lodging at 5 locations throughout the National Capital Region. It also assessed DC DOH’s capacity for distribution of medical countermeasures to the general public as described in operation plans.
MSA is proud have been asked to participate in this exercise to better prepare our nations response to a public health emergency.
