Planning and Managing Mass Prophylaxis Clinic Operations

Along with their federal, tribal, and state counterparts, local health departments, as part of the public health system, are on the front lines to assist the community to prepare, respond, and recover from public health emergencies. Local health departments have many roles during a public health emergency; one important role is to create a successful mass prophylaxis operation for the public using points of dispensing (PODs). This chapter outlines the specific functions necessary for a successful and efficient POD operation. A step-by-step process is described and can be used both for emergency and everyday planning of POD operations. In addition, researchers continue to work to solve many of the complex challenges facing local health departments attempting to prevent morbidity and mortality during a biological disaster. A discussion of some of these challenges and opportunities for future research is outlined in this chapter.