The Bio-Defense Network

Closed PODs Will Save Lives

The St. Louis County Success Story

At the start of this year, about 270,000 of St. Louis County’s roughly one million residents were covered in Closed POD programs, established at the region’s largest employer; Washington University, 11 acute care hospitals and nearly all the first responder agencies.

But that coverage was woefully inadequate, and meant that in the event of a bio-terror attack, the county would have to activate 15 Open PODs to cover the remaining 730,000 residents. To adequately staff those Open PODs, Department of Health management estimated it would need to rely on 200 county employees per POD, for a total of 3,000 employees, most of whom would need to be trained. That number represents 75 percent of the total county workforce, and was logistically demanding and unrealistic.

Recognizing that expanding its network of Closed PODs would directly increase the probability of saving lives and reduce its staffing and logistical challenges at Open PODs, the St. Louis County Department of Health partnered with PandemicPrep.Org, an area grass-roots organization, to create the Bio-Defense Network.

Using CDC Public Health Emergency Response (PHER) monies, the county invested in a short-term contract with PandemicPrep.Org to staff an intense effort to recruit the area’s largest employers, both corporate and educational.  A marketing firm was engaged to create eye-catching printed materials and a new website, and three longtime volunteer members of the organization were hired as full-time recruiters and managers to reach out to potential Closed POD hosts. They relied to some extent on the organization’s existing contacts, but mostly on their motivation, energy and passion for saving lives and serving the community.

The effort has been an unqualified success. The Bio-Defense Network enrolled major employers, including:

As of July 1, nearly 6500,000 residents will be eligible to receive life-saving medications from Closed PODs. That means St. Louis County will be able to nearly halve the

number of Open PODs required, from 15 to eight, greatly easing its logistical requirements and allowing it to save many more lives,  

Quickly dispensing medications from the Strategic National Stockpile to those exposed to a bio-terror attack will save countless lives. An excellent way of accomplishing that is to build an expansive network of Closed PODs, which represent an essential outsourcing of distribution to businesses and other organizations.

Recognizing that, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have made increasing the number of residents covered by Closed Points of Dispensing is a priority. It is one criterion evaluated by the CDC in its annual Local Technical Assistance Review (LTAR) of jurisdictions’ readiness

to receive Strategic National Stockpile assets.

By replicating the strategy of the Bio-Defense Network, public health departments in other metropolitan areas could dramatically expand the number of residents who would quickly receive antibiotic medications in the wake of a bio-terrorism attack. Service levels will be improved, expenses will be lowered and lives will be saved.

Your community can join the Bio-Defense Network, enjoying similar success as St. Louis County.