New Jersey Preppers

link to former NJ thread

Hi Grace,
  Trying my first post here, and here's the yellow thread link for our "Are you in NJ" thread-
http://www.fluwikie2...
Let me see how this looks!
Hey, I can make it here.
I have fantasized about volunteering for the county board of health. I am friends with one Freeholder, but I've been otherwise preoccupied with career changes. They have nothing on the web site about pandemic flu, and the least they should do is risk communication to the public.

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by: NJ. Preppie @ Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 02:56:45 AM UTC

New Jersey Preppers

NJP,
  I am way too underqualified to try the county level-I'm on a small local BOH whose traditional big event is an annual health fair/flu clinic.

There are about 9 people on the committee-a large chunk don't show up for the meetings. Novemmber meeting didn't have enough members show upo to form a quorum so we could vote.

  The chairperson, who is also on the township committee,who last year increased the meeting schedule from 4 times a year to monthly-6 weeks.

  What are you doing locally/at your job? What do you see getting done?

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Fri Dec 01, 2006 at 00:43:32 AM UTC

Your county is doing better than mine

Hi Grace,
I just spoke to my Freeholder friend tonight. The three county Freeholders cover different areas and he covers senior services and the health department. I asked him why there wasn't any information about the pandemic risk on the web site. (the state has a pandemic info site now) He said the problem seems to be fading since the virus didn't get here from migrating birds. (so end of story?? we don't have to worry about it anymore??) It wasn't the time to have a prolonged conversation, as our boys were in a basketball game. But it's going to be like pushing a snowball uphill, when people think the flu fear is a folly.

My town is too small for a health dept. Once a year volunteers, (a Vet, my son, and friends) give out free rabies shots. The mayor and deputies have full time jobs elsewhere (he only gets paid $4,000.). I wear a lot of hats here, as a volunteer on committees, running events like Founder's Day, helped with building a historical museum, and writing the town's Natural Resource Inventory for the Environmental Commission; besides being a college professor.

I spoke to our water department and they have no gas stored for their generators. They think they can just get more from a gas station if there is a prolonged power failure. I'm looking at him,- "you don't see a problem with that??"

I know our hospital recovery room manager,(she lives behind me) and they have no ability to stockpile anything and have only three respirators that are kept busy. They do not talk about pandemic plans. The retirement communities are being built like crazy here, bringing in a huge elderly population and the hospital can not keep up with the growth (and the dying).

The power company does not talk about pandemic plans, according to a employee I know. I haven't found anyone else concerned and anything I say sounds like I'm a fringe flutracker (and the shoe fits).

I would love to give community talks in libraries, etc. but without more communication from on high, -leaders and the media, no one is going to come, except the few already informed and concerned. I feel like I am waiting for more news coverage to happen next, before I can do more.

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by: NJ. Preppie @ Sat Dec 09, 2006 at 03:04:37 AM UTC

local preppers

The state has a pandemic education power point show (which we converted into overheads easier that way) which I can email you. maybe if you asked someone in the state DOH you can start educating locally with it. we use the library to give it and the township gives us a little space on the web site and on the cable community bulletin board to advertise.

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Sun Dec 10, 2006 at 11:59:31 AM UTC

Ocean County

Grace,
What do you know! Since I spoke to my Freeholder last week, now there is a pandemic page on our county health board web site. i e-mailed the article that just came out in the Altanlic City Press -
http://www.pressofat...
And I said that, I still don't see the public information about stockpiling food, mentioned in the article, -

"Under the "Get Flu Ready, New Jersey" campaign this fall, the department set up an information Web site and ran public-service ads on video screens at supermarket checkouts, urging people to stockpile food and bottled water, practice good hygiene and stay home if sick."

Basketball game by basketball game, I'll be working on him!!!

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by: NJ. Preppie @ Sat Dec 16, 2006 at 20:24:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

"I will go Lord..."

Hi Grace'
I read your comments from SusanC's thread "Who will speak for the people", esp. the point "I think they'd look at someone as 'who are you to tell me'?" I agree that top officials need to direct the town police and local committees to take this planning seriously. We, citizens/parents/next-door-neighbors, can succeed in educating only a few people, one by one; but we can't reach the masses and tell town authorities what to do. I found out that there is an infection control specialist at the hospital that knows about bird flu. I hope to speak to her, since that will be the first person I have found in Ocean County who is concerned about the bird flu. How many people have you found that share your concern?? How many come to your library talks?

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by: NJ. Preppie @ Mon Dec 11, 2006 at 01:40:41 AM UTC

NJP

We offered 6 sessions no one ame to 3of them[the township didn't advertise 2 of them] the most that came to a session was13 I'd say no more than 24 all together. We're trying to get a video produced at the local HS that will appear on our free cable TV time but it's taking close to 4 months to move this thru the snail's pace of a local board of health.

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Sun Dec 17, 2006 at 15:10:25 PM UTC

New Start?

I guess Christmas came late for me this year-had the first 2007 meeting for our local of health this week.

Someone (not me) suggested that we make a pandemic plan! Create a subcommittee to work on it! Make the township departments give us their emergency plans! Find out exactly what the state and county are planning to do to help us out! (won't even go there.......)

Wow, what an idea, wish I'd thought of that  >>;>/

A year and a half later, the words fall out of someone else's mouth and it's Gospel. Doesn't matter, as long as the job gets done.

I really, really, hate politics......

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Jan 29, 2007 at 01:05:51 AM UTC

Planning contact info for towns in NJ

Useful links:

http://www.qsl.net/n...

http://www.state.nj....

http://web-services....

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Sat Mar 10, 2007 at 02:04:05 AM UTC

A call for volunteers in Clifton, NJ

to form a public health emergency response unit.

more info here... http://www.newfluwik...

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little- Edmund Burke

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by: MaMa @ Sat Oct 06, 2007 at 16:17:38 PM UTC

Local planning, cont'd

Had a meeting today with an interested member of our local EMS, some great ideas and I learned alot of things I didn't know. Came up with these ideas:

ownship level:

mission: To educate residents of XX to prepare for pandemic influenza.

Outreach/education to: citizens, businesses and faith-based organizations. Encourage formation of CERT teams (Community Emergency Response Teams) thruout the township.

Methods of education: cable presentation of the ARC (American Red Cross) pandemic planning, with reference at the end to contact XX and XX if interesting forming a CERT team in their area, mail pandemic planning info to each township resident, continue using the Ad Hoc Padnemic Planning Committee to reach out to/educate the local business community and faith based/service organizations.

township OEM (Office of Emergency Planning) level:

mission: to prepare and maintain core services before, during and after pandemic influenza, anticipating 2 to 3 waves each of 8-12 weeks duration.

Outreach/education to: Police, Fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Serives ie ambulances), DPW (department of Public Works (for water/sever/trash continuity, and to dig graves if needed),CERTS

In NJ, OEM is underthe NJ State Police, and they have officers who are available to teach local people how to be trainers for the CERT program

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Sat Dec 15, 2007 at 20:48:28 PM UTC

Pandemic Flu educational booklet for camden County NJ

http://www.camdencounty.com/he...

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Jun 16, 2008 at 16:36:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]