Weekly Status Report - 11/25/09

MEMORANDUM

TO:               City Council

FROM:         David J. Deutsch, City Manager

SUBJECT:  Status Report

DATE:     November 25, 2009

Status Report

1.  Stream Team Clean-Up Final Report

All teams that participated in this fall’s stream clean-up on October 17, 2009, have reported in.  A total of 114 volunteers removed 1,925 lbs. of trash and 1,125 lbs. of recycling from nine (9) City stream sites. The next clean-up is scheduled for April 2010.

2.  Animal Shelter Task Force

Attached is the Preliminary Report from the Animal Shelter Task Force.  The final report is expected in January.

3.  H1N1 Clinic at City Hall

Our H1N1 clinic took place at City Hall on November 21st.  Over the course of four hours, 354 individuals received vaccinations.  Scheduling appointments worked well and there were few delays.  The average time from check-in to vaccination was about ten minutes.  Because the Health Department sent more doses than expected, at the end of the clinic we sent out a message through Alert Bowie inviting people in priority groups to come get shots on a walk-in basis.  About 50 people showed up as a result of the alert.

The clinic was a joint effort of the Prince George’s County Health Department, Dimensions Healthcare and the City.  We were aided by seven (7) Bowie CERT volunteers, a Public Safety Committee member and her daughter, and Councilmember Polangin.  Volunteers were asked to provide feedback on the running of the clinic.  Comments were very positive, including one from a CERT volunteer who said, “Persons generally left the building very satisfied and even outright complimentary about how well-organized things were.”  One direct quote in particular – “Very good job.  Just what I expect from the City of Bowie.”

The Health Department has asked us to consider scheduling another clinic in Bowie. However, nationwide the supply of vaccines is increasing, doctors’ offices are receiving more doses, and local schools are beginning to schedule vaccination days.  Also more faith-based clinics, such as the one at Christian Community  Presbyterian Church, are planned.  We will look at all of these factors before deciding whether another City-sponsored clinic is needed.

4.  Continuity of Operations (COOP) Training

Several staff members, representing every City Department, attended Continuity of Operations (COOP) training last week.  Employees from Fairfax County, the City of Hyattsville, and the City of Greenbelt also participated in the training.  The two-day course, certified by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), was taught by the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security.  The course took attendees through all of the steps needed to create a detailed COOP plan.  Such a plan would guide employees through how to plan and document our operational response to a major disaster, in which one or more of our City facilities were destroyed or inoperable.   A smaller group of employees also participated in an additional day of training which certifies them to be able to teach the COOP course to others in our organization. 

DJD/asf

Attachments