Point of Dispensing Location Optimization Plan for Fulton County, Georgia Using RealOpt© Open Access

Abstract

Background: Point of Dispensing (POD) sites are pre-determined locations where medical countermeasures will be dispensed to the population at-large. These sites should be community-based locations and able to accommodate a large influx of people moving through the site quickly. PODs can be used in response to any natural or man-made biological event, such as an Anthrax release, Smallpox release, an emerging infectious disease or during influenza season.

 

Project Goal: This special studies project through the Rollins School of Public Health assists the Fulton County Board of Health’s Office of Emergency Preparedness with Point of Dispensing site selection and optimization for both mass vaccination campaigns and mass antibiotic dispensing events.

 

Methods: RealOpt^©-Regional optimizes which PODs in a jurisdiction should be established based on varying throughputs and the population in the designated area. It then assigns some specific radii of the population to the nearest POD, calculating the total coverage of the designated area in the ideal time frame. Possible POD locations were selected based on polling location information from Fulton County GIS.

 

Results: RealOpt©-Regional identified 29 POD locations out of 88 potential sites, serving 92.12% of the Fulton County population and dispensing antibiotics for 2 days using a household model with 300,672 households served out of 326,702 households. Households excluded from the model must drive >10 miles to the closest POD location. These households are in the more rural, southern areas of Fulton County. Using these identified POD locations for a mass vaccination campaign, RealOpt© postulated it would take 7 days to serve 99.72% of the population.

 

Conclusions: If future planning includes stakeholder involvement,vetting of the POD location sites, and further exercises, Fulton County will be more thoroughly prepared for a public health emergency requiring medical countermeasure dispensing. 

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT 4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6

ACRONYMS 8

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 9

PROJECT CONTENT 9

BACKGROUND 10

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 12

PLANNING THREATS 12

             Anthrax 13

             Smallpox 14

             Influenza and Emerging Threats 15

POD ORGANIZATION AND DISPENSING MODELS 16

             Open and Closed PODs 18

             Drive-Thru POD 19

             Pharmacies 19

             USPS Delivery Service 20

DETERMINING THE OPTIMAL POD MODEL 21

POD MODELING SOFTWARE 22

CHAPTER 3: METHODS 24

POD PLANNING CALCULATIONS 24

PROJECT METHODS 25

LIMITATIONS 26

CHAPTER 4: PROJECT CONTENT AND SCOPE 28

CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 34

RECOMMENDATIONS 34

CONCLUSIONS 35

REFERENCES 37

 

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Keyword	Medical countermeasures Emerging Infectious Diseases Antrhax Public health preparedness Pandemic Influenza emergency managment Smallpox
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Chamberlain, Allison, Emory University
Committee Members	Evans, Dabney P., Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Georgia state or local health department

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