Preparing for the Threat of Epidemics and Pandemics
In addition to providing consulting services for all types of disaster preparedness and response, Crisis Management Associates has extensive experience in the very specialized area of preparing for, and responding to the threat of infectious diseases. We provide a full range of public health planning and exercise services and have even provided direct response support for major epidemics and pandemics.
Corona Virus Planning, Exercises and Response
Our company has been involved with various planning and response initiatives for Corona Virus, including preparing for and responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). These efforts, primarily conducted in Africa and the Middle East have provided us with a unique knowledge of this threat and a very detailed understanding of the best methodologies to use in preparing, and responding to this viral disease. Working with partner non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies we have developed plans and programs that have saved lives during past epidemics and will provide the right response platforms for future outbreaks. We are the leader in development of plans that support response to not just one threat (i.e. influenza, corona virus, etc.) but instead provide a flexible, adaptable platform for governments, organizations and companies to respond to any epidemic, regardless of the disease. This approach has simplified the training and program requirements necessitated by having multiple plans to respond to varying disease threats. In 2020 we were one of the first companies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and actually categorized it as a pandemic three weeks prior to the official designation by the World Health Organization. At the request of a major client, our associates rapidly deployed to Indonesia to assist in developing and implementing COVID-19 plans and procedures. Our planning and response actions significantly mitigated the pandemic's impact on the client's core operations and lessened the pandemic's national and regional economic impact. Our history of putting our associates "in harms way" to help clients develop and implement pandemic and epidemic plans sets us apart from other companies that cannot, or will not move beyond the sterile planning environment to do whatever is necessary to help their clients. While working in Indonesia, we simultaneously began helping past clients implement the pandemic plans we helped them develop many years prior, ensuring that our clients were "not alone" during the COVID-19 response and had professional advice throughout their plan implementation and response operations. Notably, our plan implementation and response assistance to these previous clients was done without additional financial compensation. Instead, it was done because it was the right thing to do, because once a client joins our planning family, we want to be there to provide advice during any future disaster or major public health event.
Influenza Pandemic Planning, Exercises and Response |
We have been engaged in influenza virus pandemic planning and exercises since 2005, supporting numerous states, counties and cities in development and implementation of their influenza pandemic plans. In 2007 we began a multi-year contract to support the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Health Organization in conducting pandemic influenza exercises in both Europe and Africa. After the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic we assisted the California Department of Public Health in an after-action review of their response and later assisted in development of a new departmental pandemic preparedness and response plan. In 2010 we began a five year engagement with the US Government to develop pandemic influenza plans for partner countries in Africa, developing over 30 national-level plans and conducting over a dozen pandemic exercises, the largest pandemic planning and exercise program in history. So in short, Crisis Management Associates' influenza pandemic planning, training, exercise and response experience exceeds that of any other company or government entity.
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
In 2014, Crisis Management Associates was specifically requested to assist the Government of Liberia in support of their response to the burgeoning Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic, which by that point was well entrenched across Liberia. We traveled to Liberia during the height of the epidemic and assisted in developing a new EVD Preparedness and Response Plan to address the shortfalls in existing plans. We remained in Liberia to assist with the implementation of this new plan, providing support for the Liberian Government's tireless efforts to defeat this disease. Based on this experience, Crisis Management Associates was asked to assist the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine in conducting an EVD-focused planning, training and exercise program for the West African countries judged by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Government to be at high risk for the spread of EVD. As part of this West African Disaster Preparedness Initiative (WADPI), a total of 13 national Ebola Preparedness and Response Plans were developed, with follow-on practical exercises and simulations to assist in validation and implementation. Building upon our experience in Africa, in late 2015 we began working with several state and local government health agencies in the United States to develop plans and procedural documents to address the threat of EVD within the United States, work that continues to this day. Our multi-year engagement with EVD preparedness and response has provided Crisis Management Associates with more experience in the field of EVD planning and exercise design than any other company in the world.