Pandemic Influenza Tabletop Exercise – Testing the Region’s Planning & Response Structure

The professional relationship between Global Consulting and the Region of Waterloo began in 2005 when the company was contracted to write the Region’s Strategic Planning Guide and Operational Framework. This document outlined the formal process for stakeholder engagement and development of a pandemic plan for the regional municipality, and its surrounding communities.

Following the successful completion of this project, Global was contracted by the Region to manage the writing of a Community Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan (CPIPP) from 2006 to 2007. This project required Global and its consulting team to facilitate a range of community and health-based working groups, which were tasked to research and develop pandemic influenza response guidelines addressing clinical care standards, infection control protocols, and emergency management strategies. These tools, based on best practices and robust planning assumptions, were developed for use in health care facilities, and by community support groups, public health stakeholders, and municipal officials.

With the plan approved and spread across the Region for implementation, Global was then contracted by the Region’s Public Health leaders to facilitate and execute a tabletop exercise in January 2009. This exercise provided the opportunity for all pandemic-specific control groups to test the overall response structure outlined in the plan and review inter-agency coordination during the different phases (preparedness, response and recovery) of a pandemic influenza. Stakeholder engagement was substantial, with over 90 participants, leading to the overall success of the event and a number of future planning considerations to be identified.