Cities Readiness Initiative
The Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) is a pilot program to aid cities in increasing their capacity to deliver medicines and medical supplies during a large-scale public health emergency such as a bioterrorism attack or a nuclear accident. The CRI will help save lives through timely delivery of medical supplies during a large-scale public health emergency.
It will enable the Miami-Dade County to deliver medicines and medical
equipment to its population within a timeframe that will make an
appreciable difference in the health status of individuals exposed
to a bioterrorism attack.
CRI is needed to enhance preparedness at all levels of government
and to provide a consistent nationwide approach to prepare for,
respond to, and recover from a large-scale public health emergency.
This pilot program will complement the cities' preparedness planning
for first response efforts in the event of such an emergency. As
a result of this pilot program, plans from all levels of government
(federal, state and local) will be unified to ensure a consistent,
effective and timely response in the event of a large-scale catastrophic
event or outbreak of disease.
The Miami-Dade County Health Department (MDCHD) is currently in
the process of budget planning that can meet the human and non-human
resource costs associated with a Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)
activation and management at the local/county level when needed.
Further information can be found at: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/cri/qa.asp
Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI)
- Multi-agency project
- Lead: Dept of Health and Human Services
- White House Executive Office of the President
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of Justice
- U.S. Postal Service
- Ensure selected cities (21) have developed and coordinated city response plans that have the capacity to provide medication to the cities' entire population within 48 hours of a decision to do so.
- There are 12 stockpiles of prophylaxis strategically located at 10 sites throughout the nation.
- The SNS consists of two components: Push packs & Vender Managed Inventory (VMI).
- Depending on the known or suspected agent, the appropriate push pack of bulk prophylaxis will be sent by air or ground transportation to the affected area.
- The push pack will arrive at the affected locale within 12 hours of the request. VMI begins within 24-36 hrs.
MDCHD Public Health Emergency Response Plan
- Based on an infrastructure of sites (Point Of Dispensing [POD]) throughout the county which would serve as dispensing sites.
- The POD's function is to request, receive, and sustain dispensing operations in response to a Public Health Emergency.
- Designed to have the flexibility to respond to a focal incident or a county-wide public health emergency.
Outdoor Scenario
POD Drill 07/22/05 Miami-Dade
Indoor Scenario
CRI Applicability to an Influenza Pandemic
- To dispense antivirals to a target population i.e., first responders.
- To serve as a site for mass vaccination.
