public health preparedness and response
Preparing for the Super Bowl:
Minnesota Gets Ahead of the Game
by Samuel Abrams, MPH, PMP, specialist, APHL Public Health Preparedness and Response and
Maureen Sullivan, MPH, laboratory supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
The Super Bowl, one of the country’s
largest annual sporting events, draws
massive crowds to the town hosting the
game. But while most are watching the
game and enjoying feasts of chicken
wings and pizza, laboratories in the region
are working behind-the-scenes to ensure
the safety of thousands of fans. This past
February, it was the turn of the Minnesota
Department of Health–Public Health
Laboratory (MDH-PHL) to protect Super
Bowl crowds as Minneapolis hosted Super
Bowl LII.
Preparation and Collaboration
Although events like the Super Bowl
last only a few hours, laboratory
preparation begins many months in
advance. Fortunately, MDH-PHL, with
over ten years’ experience working
with the US Department of Homeland
Security’s BioWatch program, had a head
start on the process, and, in the weeks
leading up to the big event, it ramped up
testing capacity and capability to detect
aerosolized biothreats.
Documenting lessons learned through after-action reports has proven critical
in streamlining preparation and improving the cost-effectiveness of laboratory
operations for large-scale events.
Collaboration proved key to all facets of
preparation. MDH-PHL worked closely
with regional hospitals, state emergency
managers and local public health
personnel to conduct readiness training
exercises and develop response plans
to prepare for an intentional biological
attack. It also coordinated with the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the National
Guard Civil Support Team, holding
routine meetings with representatives
and MDH-PHL biological, chemical and
radiological laboratory units to ensure
testing capacity in the event of a threat.
In addition, Minnesota epidemiologists
and environmental health specialists
increased food inspections and disease
surveillance to reduce the possibility of a
large outbreak of foodborne illness. In addition, the laboratory continually
refines its response plans based on
past events. It makes changes and
improvements to policies and procedures,
and documents lessons learned through
after-action reports. These practices
have enabled MDH-PHL to streamline
preparations and improve the cost-
effectiveness of operations for large-
scale events.
Expecting the Unexpected Fortunately, Super Bowl LII passed
without incident, but MDH-PHL would
have been ready had the situation been
different. Should you find your city has
been selected as the site of a major event,
you may want to contact MDH-PHL for
some pointers. n
Years of dealing with the unexpected has
helped MDH-PHL to develop effective staff
for emergency events. It cross-trains staff
and places them on-call to respond to
threats at a moment’s notice—all while
maintaining the ability to do routine
rule-outs.
The Emergency Preparedness and Response BioWatch staff.
Photo: MDH
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org
Spring 2018 LAB MATTERS
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