PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
COOP Exercises Aim to Keep the Wheels Turning
During a Disaster
By Samuel Abrams, MPH, PMP, specialist, Public Health Preparedness and Response
Public health laboratory test results
and information help to shape health
interventions and policies to protect
the public from unpredictable hazards
and threats. To minimize disruptions to
laboratory operations that could adversely
affect community health, public health
laboratories maintain plans detailing
essential functions and personnel,
communications, infrastructure,
and other factors to assure ongoing
testing and facilitate recovery of the
laboratory system even if operations at
the laboratory are greatly affected. This
emergency response roadmap is called a
continuity of operations plan (COOP).
In the spring of 2019, APHL partnered with
the RAND Corporation to conduct COOP
tabletop exercises at four US public health
laboratories. Funded by the Division of
Laboratory Systems at the US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the
exercises tested laboratory capacity and
capability to respond to earthquakes,
hurricanes, terrorist bombings and other
disasters, and assessed COOP policies and
procedures for incident management,
identification of essential laboratory
activities, location of alternative testing
sites and restoration of normal operations.
Laboratory staff from different functional
areas—management, security, facilities
and other health department partners—
worked through the scenario. As they
progressed, they evaluated their current
laboratory COOP against the demands of
the scenario and noted gaps and critical
areas for improvement such as alternative
communication methods, increased staff
training on COOP, operational exercises,
and formal partnerships with laboratories
that have the capability and capacity to
assist with testing.
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
A well-developed COOP provides a detailed list of all core testing and support
activities that must continue functioning during a disruption to laboratory
operations. It outlines the steps necessary to ensure that core testing is
completed without delay. COOP activation typically occurs when a laboratory
facility experiences a disruption in usability, for example, due to an earthquake
or hurricane. A reagent shortage or staffing issues also can lead a laboratory to
deploy components of its COOP.
A formal report with the findings and
key focus areas will be issued to the
APHL community. The Public Health
Preparedness and Response Committee
will use this information to update
the existing APHL Guidelines for the
Public Health Laboratory Continuity of
Operations Plan (COOP), a resource for
any laboratory establishing or updating
its COOP.
DIGITAL EXTRA:
Read more about COOP on the APHL
Lab Blog: Looking Back at Superstorm
Sandy: Preparedness for the Public Health
Laboratory and Not Even Sandy Could Stop
Newborn Screening in New Jersey.
With a strong and tested COOP,
laboratories can be well prepared
to respond to an emergency while
continuing to ensure critical public health
testing services are met. n
APHL.org
Summer 2019 LAB MATTERS
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