Posted 2/27/2008

S.C. gets good marks from federal government
on health crisis planning

An Arnold School expert said Monday that South Carolinians should not count on the government to protect them against every public health emergency that comes along.

Dr. Jane Richter

"The more successful those working in public health preparedness are at preventing incidents and responding successfully when they occur, the less the public seems to be mobilizing to protect themselves," said Dr Jane Richter, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness.

"Such failure to prepare can and will have far-reaching consequences. Governmental agencies cannot possibly do it all nor should they be expected to do so," Richter said.

Richter's remarks come in the wake of last week's release of a report by the Centers for Disease Control on preparedness efforts in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The report said the 2005 industrial freight train collision near Graniteville demonstrated the success of South Carolina's ability to respond to a public health crisis.

The crash forced the evacuation of 5,000 residents near the Aiken community of Graniteville with more than 500 persons needing medical attention.

The report does not rank the states but looks at areas of public health that are crucial to preparing for a disaster. It was the government's first assessment of the payoff from its investment of more than $5 billion since the terrorist attacks of 2001 to make the country better prepared for a variety of public health emergencies.

"South Carolina has been able to make tremendous progress in improving public health and community preparedness for responding to bioterrorism, weapons of mass destruction, disease outbreaks, natural and technological hazards, and other threats to the public’s health," the report noted. The federal government spent $80.9 million on preparedness efforts in South Carolina.

Richter said the report shows the money was well spent, but added a few caveats.

The report "uses a narrow set of measures that do not fully capture the breadth of activities in South Carolina that DHEC has undertaken to protect the state's health. CDC recognizes this and states that with the future publication of similar reports, a more complete and robust picture of state's efforts will be painted."

In its report, the CDC said that the response following the train wreck was facilitated by an emergency response plan that had already been developed because of the concentration of nuclear and industrial facilities and numerous rail lines in the area.

"The State Department of Health and Environmental Control is fully integrated into the emergency preparedness activities occurring in all the jurisdictions across the state. DHEC is involved in local and state exercises that are testing the planning and training that have been undertaken. Accountability for making necessary changes has been enhanced through the writing of after action reports," she said

Richter and her staff are part of a national system of centers working to ensure frontline public health workers have the skills to respond effectively to current and emerging health threats. In that capacity, the center works closely with DHEC and other emergency responders.

Dr. Erik Svendsen

Three years after the incident, Dr. Erik Svendsen, a researcher at USC’s Arnold School, says residents are still feeling the health effects from the spill.

Svendsen, who also is an epidemiologist with DHEC's Bureau of Disease Control, reported in January that breathing problems and longtime emotional issues continue to worry survivors

The report also credits South Carolina for its ability to detect and report diseases, conduct lab testing for biological and chemical threats and for development and testing of emergency response plans.

The report is available online at http://emergency.cdc.gov/publications/feb08phprep.