State & Local Government

Planning Guidelines

State Panflu Operations Plan Excel Submission (XLS - 244.5 KB)

Webcast Series on Pandemic Influenza

Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation (PDF - 10.3 MB)

Plan Now to Be Ready for the Next Flu Pandemic (PDF - 213.55 KB);(DOC - 51 KB)

The Next Flu Pandemic: What to Expect (DOC - 47 KB);(PDF - 226.83 KB)

The 50 states, the District of Columbia, three local jurisdictions (New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles County), five U.S. Territories and three Freely Associated States of the Pacific shared $325 million in cooperative agreement emergency supplemental funds to fill gaps in their pandemic influenza preparedness plans and to test these plans. Funds were made available in two phases. Phase one, $100M, was announced January 12, 2006. Phase two, $225M, was announced July 11, 2006. In 2007, a supplemental $75M was announced on August 30, 2007.

Phase I Allocation Press Release >>

Phase II Allocation Press Release >>

2007 Allocation Press Release >>

To help coordinate planning, HHS and other federal agencies held pandemic planning summits with public health, emergency management, and response leaders in each state. HHS also prepared a State & Local Planning Checklist, and worked with states to design exercises to evaluate preparedness.

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State-by-State Pandemic Information  

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State Pandemic Plans  

• Assessment of States’ Operating Plans to Combat Pandemic Influenza
  Summary report on states’ operating plans for combating pandemic influenza.
• Guidance on Developing State Pandemic Influenza Operations Plans
  Instructions, submission template, review criteria, and scoring schema for the federal review of state operations plans submissions. Reports were due April 16, 2007.
• State Pandemic Plans
  Access all state pandemic plans that are currently available.

Checklists and Tools  

• State & Local Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
• Law Enforcement Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
• Correctional Facilities Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist
• Planning Tools
  Resources to help hospital administrators and state and local health officials plan and respond to a flu pandemic.

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Planning Guidance  

• Guidance on Allocating and Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine (PDF - 1.83 MB) (Departments of Health & Human Services and Homeland Security)
  Guidance recommends which groups and individuals are vaccinated first in the event of a flu pandemic to reduce impact on health and minimize disruption to society and the economy.
• Guidance on Antiviral Drug Use during an Influenza Pandemic (PDF - 810.36 KB)
  Recommendations for federal, state, local, and tribal planners on antiviral drug use strategies and the number of antiviral regimens that would be needed to support strategy implementation.
• Interim Public Health Guidance for the Use of Facemasks and Respirators in Non-Occupational Community Settings during an Influenza Pandemic (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  Provides information on influenza transmission and gives recommendations on when to use masks and respirators in public settings and communities. Gives additional actions to reduce the possibility of infection.
• Providing Mass Medical Care with Scarce Resources: A Community Planning Guide (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
  For state, local, community, and facility planners, this guide discusses ethical and legal issues, and considerations regarding prehospital care, hospital/acute care, palliative care, and alternative care sites. Chapter 8 is a 29-page case study for a flu pandemic.
• EMS Pandemic Influenza Guidelines for Statewide Adoption (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
  Plans and procedures that define the role of emergency medical services (EMS) in preparing for, mitigating and responding to pandemic influenza.
• Recommendations for Protocol Development for 9-1-1 Personnel (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
  Guidance for state and local EMS and 9-1-1 agencies developing pandemic influenza plans and operational protocols.

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Emotional Health and Behavioral Guidelines  

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) has devised a report on the mental health impact of natural disasters, including epidemics. The report emphasized preparedness and mental health intervention planning. View the CSTS report [PDF – 173 KB]

For additional information, also see “Communicating in a Crisis - Risk Communication Guidelines for Public Officials” [PDF – 454 KB] from SAMHSA.

Antiviral Allocations  

Antivirals - State Allocations
Chart showing the individual state allocations of antivirals from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stockpile.

State Contacts  

Contact Information for State Departments of Agriculture, Wildlife, and Public Health
Find information on how to contact the departments in your state, by mail and by phone. When available, fax numbers and Web addresses are also provided.

Training  

Online Three-Day Course for State and Local Public Health Responders (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Three-day training course provides a standardized curriculum to state and local public-health responders about how to identify and control human infections and illness associated with avian influenza A (H5N1).

Emergency Management Assistance Compact  

Quick Tips  (PDF - 36 KB) (Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
This document serves as a brief orientation to the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) for states. This document should be used by any entity of State government that wishes to request assistance from another state during a Governor-declared state of emergency.

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Pandemic Planning: Federal/State Summits  

• 2005 Pandemic Planning: A Convening of the States
  At the direction of President Bush, Secretary Mike Leavitt, HHS, convened senior state and local officials from across the country on December 5, 2005 to establish an integrated federal-state influenza-pandemic planning process. The White House Homeland Security Council, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture also participated in the meeting.

H1N1 (Swine) Flu  

On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the 2009-2010 H1N1 (Swine Flu) Influenza Pandemic.

• H1N1 Flu Clinical and Public Health Guidance
• Interim Guidance for State and Local Health Departments for Reporting Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations and Deaths for the 2009-2010 Season
• Interim Guidance for Screening for Novel Influenza A (H1N1) (Swine Flu) by State and Local Health Departments, Hospitals, and Clinicians in Regions with Few or no Reported Cases of Novel Influenza A (H1N1)
• Managing Calls and Call Centers during a Large-Scale Influenza Outbreak: Implementation Tool
  Read about the steps community planners should take to divert both unnecessary calls from the community 9-1-1 system and non-critically ill patients from the healthcare system to reserve both for actual emergency situations.
• CDC Guidance for Emergency Shelters for the 2009-2010 Flu Season
• Interim Guidance for Correctional and Detention Facilities on Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus
  This interim guidance is specific to correctional facilities to ensure continuation of essential public services and protection of the health and safety of inmates, staff and visitors in the context of a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak.
• EMS and 9-1-1 Personnel:  Managing Confirmed or Suspected Infections
• CDC Recommendations for the Amount of Time Persons with Influenza-Like Illness Should be Away from Others
• Facemask and Respirator Use
• Grants to States and Territories, July 2009
  $350 million for H1N1 and seasonal flu preparedness

Price Gouging  

• Letter to Governors (PDF - 212 KB) (Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice)
  This document asks all governors to monitor possible incidences of private providers charging excessive fees for antivirals, vaccines, or vaccine administration.

Public Gatherings  

• CDC Interim Guidance for Public Gatherings
• WHO: Interim Planning Considerations for Mass Gatherings in the Context of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza (PDF - 160 KB)

Schools Information  

Guidance for Child Care and Early Childhood Providers, K-12 Administrators, and Universities and Colleges

Vaccine Information  

• Changes to the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine and Supply Distribution, Effective April 1, 2010
• Reduction of Inventory and Allocations at the McKesson 2009 H1N1 Vaccine/Ancillary Supply Distribution Depots
• School-Located Vaccination Planning Materials and Templates
  These documents provide information for planning and conducting school-located 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics that target school-aged children enrolled in school and potentially other groups in the community. The targeted audience for these materials is primarily state and local public health department immunization and preparedness staff who are responsible for carrying out 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination, but also education officials, school nurses, and others who are interested in planning and carrying out such activities.
• School-based Vaccination Clinics: school-based vaccination clinics nationwide and why vaccination matters. Archived Webcast, January 6, 2010.
• Vaccine Distribution Q&A
• H1N1 Vaccine Tort Liability Immunity
• CDC 2009 H1N1 Vaccination Campaign Planning Checklist
  The checklist outlines the main 2009 influenza A (H1N1) monovalent vaccine (2009 H1N1 vaccine) planning actions. Within each state, the checklist should be tailored to distinguish between state and local responsibilities.
• Information for Vaccine Planners

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The 1918 Flu Pandemic - State Information  

The Great Pandemic of 1918: State by State
Read stories and anecdotes of the impact of the Great Pandemic in individual states.

Related Link  

Preparing for a Pandemic Influenza: A Primer for Governors and Senior State Officials (PDF) (1.12MB) (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices)
Read the NGA's report focused on the considerations states must make when developing policies in preparation for a potential pandemic.

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