Fall 2009 Issue
Inside CDC's Emergency Operations Center
Alan Harrison recently joined the CDC Foundation as vice president for administration. Among his duties, Harrison serves as the Foundation's chief liaison to CDC's Marcus Emergency Operations Center (EOC). When CDC activated the EOC to address the threat of novel H1N1 influenza (originally referred to as "swine flu"), Harrison was charged with coordinating staffing for the Foundation's liaison desk in the EOC and triaging requests for funding from CDC teams and offers of in-kind goods and services from the private sector. Below, Harrison recounts his experience working in the nerve center of CDC's emergency response.
Can you describe a typical day in the EOC?
I don't know if there really was a 'typical' day. In the morning the CDC director held a 30 to 60 minute briefing that set the tone for the day. Everyone working in the EOC either attended or logged-in remotely. The rest of the day was all about handling whatever came up. There was always something going on, and, with everyone packed so closely together, there was a spirit of camaraderie and mutual support.
What did you find most notable?
The level of skill, dedication and just plain excellence I encountered working in the EOC was just amazing. I spent 15 years in private industry, most in a Fortune 500 company. Successfully coordinating this many people from such a variety of disciplines – epidemiologists, laboratorians and infectious disease physicians as well as specialists in logistics and communications – is something even Fortune 500 companies would have difficulty pulling off.
I was also impressed with the transparency of communications within the EOC and CDC's commitment to making sure the public had the most up-to-date information. Every morning at 8:00 a.m., I was part of a briefing that described in detail what was happening at the highest levels of CDC, and by 11:00 a.m., all of that information was posted on CDC's website. I was very impressed with how open and honest CDC was with the public, and I think they should be commended for that.
How was the Foundation most helpful to CDC's response?
It's amazing that we have this federal agency with so many people and a huge budget, and yet a $500 question can get in the way of doing work that is needed. This is usually because CDC just can't move very quickly when it comes to purchasing because of federal procurement rules. I experienced a few examples of that.
For a few hundred dollars, the Foundation was able to help CDC offer incentives to people to participate in studies, which resulted in the gathering of critical data on how the H1N1 virus was transmitted within families, among co-workers and in schools. CDC, operating within the rules for use of federal funding, had no way to do that quickly. So, without the Foundation, there could have been a serious information gap. In another example, CDC ran out of Blackberrys when deploying field teams, and we were able to step in and purchase 50 and get them where they were needed. It might have taken CDC weeks to do that, and we did it in one day.
What did you learn from the experience?
I think the most important thing I learned is that successful emergency response is all about preparation. CDC certainly leads by example in that regard. When the H1N1 flu public health emergency was declared, I had only been with the Foundation for a couple of months, and we only had three people properly trained to work in the EOC at the Foundation's desk. It's tough to staff an emergency desk 24/7 with three people. In the past two months we've increased that number to more than 20 trained Foundation staff, which improves our ability to respond in full force next time there is an emergency or if this one ramps up again.
Read more articles from Fall 2009 issue of theFrontLine newsletter