Health organizations urge cooperation with businesses in case of catastrophe

Michelle Swafford

Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 | 11:04 a.m.

Resources for businesses

With terrorism threats on the rise and an increased risk of public health crises, businesses need to have a plan in place. The following is a list of organizations and government agencies that can help businesses.

American Red Cross, www.redcross.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov

Federal Emergency Management Association, www.fema.gov

Department of Homeland Security, www.ready.gov

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, www.cdc.gov/niosh

Occupational Safety & Health Administration, www.osha.gov

Prepare.org by the American Red Cross, www.prepare.org

National Business Group on Health, www.businessgrouphealth.org/prevention

Source: National Business Group on Health

Businesses are more likely to face a variety of terrorist and public health threats nowadays, but many of them are unprepared, health officials say.

The National Business Group on Health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a series of analyses to find ways businesses and public health agencies could work together following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The business sector, traditionally responsible for the health and safety of its workforce, faces an array of new and emerging issues including global-risk assessment, emergency-event response and disease-outbreak communication," the groups' report said, adding that businesses and the public health sector have not historically worked together.

The National Business Group on Health represents about 200 large employers, many of which are Fortune 500 companies, and has created a toolbox of resources and suggestions to help businesses prepare for chemical, biological and disease outbreaks since most people spend the bulk of their time at work.

Businesses have been plagued with anthrax, bombings and ricin in the past and could experience other biological and chemical threats in the future, health experts say.

Crisis management "must be a seamless effort" between the business and public health agencies and the foundation should be laid in advance, Dr. Paul Schenk, medical director of NBC Universal in New York, told business leaders Wednesday.

"Don't exchange business cards at the time of an emergency," Schenk said. "Then it's too late."

Kay Godby, bio-preparedness planner for the Clark County Health District, said her office has not received many requests from businesses for help writing emergency plans, but the larger-hotel casinos are required to have them under a new state law.

The Division of Emergency Management estimates that 14 of the Las Vegas Valley's 71 hotel-casinos have not filed their emergency plans yet.

The health district has been trying to spread the word about emergency plans through health fairs and community events.

Businesses need to have a plan that will allow employees to be safe if they are forced to stay inside their workplace for an extended period of time, Godby said.

The plans should include information about what equipment should be available in an emergency and how employees should contact their families, she said, adding that family plans are also important for businesses.

"If you can prepare your employees with a family disaster plan, then they will show up for work and not be all stressed out," Godby said.

In addition to the county health district, businesses should have contacts with the local fire department, emergency medical services, public works and water district, Godby said.

The Clark County Health District provides business resource guides, which are based on emergency plans designed by the National Institute for Chemical Studies. More information is available at www.nicsinfo.org.

Dr. Stephanie Bailey, director of the Metro Public Health Department in Nashville, told business leaders in a conference call Wednesday that they need to develop an emergency plan in advance and make sure employees know how it works.

There are several government agencies that provide templates and suggestions to help businesses implement emergency plans.

Ian Dixon, project manager for prevention and health services at the National Business Group on Health, said it's important to use common language when preparing emergency plans because businesses and public health officials have different lexicons.

For example, the acronym STD generally means sexually transmitted disease in the health field, while it means short-term disability in the business benefits field, Dixon said.

He also said it is important to have more than one employee trained to carry out an emergency plan in case one person is absent.

Once businesses have plans in place, they should test them regularly through drills and demonstration projects, Dixon said.