Online courses help businesses, faith groups prepare for H1N1
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A severe outbreak of H1N1 flu this fall and winter could cripple businesses and houses of worship that don't plan for such a health emergency. Two online resources available through the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) can help these two community pillars stay standing during a flu pandemic.
"Pandemic Influenza Preparedness for Business" and "Pandemic Influenza Preparedness for Faith-Based Organizations" are free courses that can be taught to employees and church personnel by in-house instructors. Developed in part by Purdue University's EDEN representatives Steve Cain and Abigail Borron, the courses can be downloaded at https://www.eden.lsu.edu/LearningOps/Pandemic/ (business course) and https://www.eden.lsu.edu/LearningOps/FBO (faith-based course).
Both require online registration.
The courses provide businesses and faith-based groups basic information on pandemic flu and control measures, communication strategies during a flu outbreak and how to write preparedness plans.
"We know from experience that businesses and faith-based organizations are critical to helping communities survive a disaster of any kind," said Steve Cain, EDEN's Purdue-based homeland security project director.
"If we have the worst-case scenario, don't expect the federal government - or even the state government - to have adequate resources to respond to every community's needs. All disasters are local, and each community will need its own resources to rebuild after the pandemic."
With that in mind, Cain urged businesses and organizations to consider establishing pandemic response teams.
"You want three things from your pandemic team," he said. "You want them to come up with a preparedness plan, a way to exercise the plan and a system for communicating with employees.
"Communication is a key element in pandemic planning. If you wait until disaster strikes to develop a communications plan, then you are lost."
The preparedness course for businesses also covers personnel issues, Cain said.
"Some of the things we talk about include how a business allows its employees to do pandemic-related volunteer work, what happens when healthy people are unable to get to work and issues related to child care and adult care.
"A business also needs to decide how it will pay its workers during a pandemic and where that money comes from. Does it come from cash reserves? Does a business open up retirement accounts?"
The course for faith-based organizations offers ideas for keeping critical operations running during a flu outbreak, as well as ways to help in community pandemic response.
Each course comes complete with an instructor's guide, ready-to-use presentations and handout materials.
For more information about the business course, contact Cain at 765-494-8410, cain@purdue.edu. Additional information about the faith-based organization course is available from Borron, EDEN communication specialist, at 765-494-4390, aborron@purdue.edu.
General information about H1N1 flu can be found on the EDEN Web site at https://eden.lsu.edu/ and then clicking on "Pandemic Influenza."
EDEN is a collaborative multi-state effort by Extension Services across the country to improve the delivery of services to citizens affected by disasters.
Writer: Steve Leer, 765-494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu
Sources: Steve Cain, 765-494-8410, cain@purdue.edu
Abigail Borron, 765-494-4390, aborron@purdue.edu
Ag Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Steve Leer, sleer@purdue.edu