Weekly Status Report - 9/10/09

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE:        September 17, 2009

Status Report

1.  Envision Prince George's

Attached you will find the latest newsletter for "Envision Prince George's", a community participation program sponsored by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.  The program is a collaborative initiative that seeks to engage stakeholders in developing a shared vision of the future of Prince George's County.  More information is provided on the Commission's website at:  http://www.pgplanning.org/Planning_Board/Envision.htm.  The website also includes a survey and identifies upcoming events.  As feedback from our local elected officials, civic association leaders and homeowners association board members is an important component of this effort, City staff have been asked to help promote "Envision Prince George's" and encourage residents' participation in the program. 

2.  Situational Reports on H1N1

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is reporting increasing numbers of individuals sick with flu-like symptoms.  To help local governments keep up with the overwhelming amount of information on H1N1 influenza, the Council of Governments has begun issuing weekly situation reports on the outbreak for local government staff and elected officials.  The reports are very useful but they should be considered briefings. The intended audience is government officials. While the information included in the reports comes from the media and various official websites, they were not intended to be forwarded and they were not written in a particularly user-friendly format for the public. This week’s report is attached.  Future reports will be forwarded via email.

Staff will share information from these reports and other sources with the public on our website, the government channel, the local press and with informational messages sent out through the Alert Bowie system.  These announcements will also be sent to Council via email.

3.  Flu Shots

The H1N1 vaccine will not be available until mid October and initially it will only be made available to those most vulnerable to this new strain of flu, including pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, persons between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old, and people ages 25 through 64 years of age who are at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 because of chronic health disorders or compromised immune systems.

On the other hand, the seasonal flu shot is widely available now and the CDC is aggressively promoting it this year as a means of keeping the general population as healthy as possible.  Attached is a list of places in Bowie where the shots are being offered.

Over the last few years, we have developed a good working relationship with the Prince George’s County Health Department.  We have contacted them about using City facilities as points of distribution for the H1N1 shots.  We have also requested that they partner with the City on hosting an informational meeting on H1N1 preparations for the residents of Bowie.

DJD/asf

Attachments