Emergency Preparedness and Response Program
• July through October 2021, EPRP Logistics managed cold chain for vaccine storage, distributed vials of vaccine weekly to partner providers, and distributed personal protective equipment to area pharmacies and medical personnel.
• In September and October 2021, EPRP hosted nine days of COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine clinics at a partner Point of Dispensing site and at the Tulsa State Fair and vaccinated over 350 individuals.
• Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps supported vaccination operations and epidemiological investigation throughout the year.
• EPRP was awarded a Workforce Grant of $1,000,000 to support two years of building employee infrastructure to prevent, prepare for, and respond to public health emergencies.
• Began to reexamine the agency’s plans to improve and make future responses better. That process started taking shape by holding three “hot washes” with Point of Dispensing (POD) supervisors and unit leaders to gather information to direct improvement planning.
• In December of 2021, as part of the EPRP Strategic Planning, an area of particular focus chosen to focus on from that feedback was the Continuity of Operations Plan, also known as COOP. Since then there have been three COOP workshops held with upper level management, a program level COOP template has been developed, and planning efforts have been directed towards integrating feedback gathered from the agency to make future responses more efficient and sustainable with as few disruptions as possible.
Epidemiology
• The epidemiology portion of the Tulsa Health Department website was worked on to entirely revamp it and make it user-friendly for the public. The upcoming launch of the epidemiology portion will make it easier for community partners, stakeholders, and the public to navigate and learn more about the program.
• During the pandemic, Tulsa's community was more exposed to field of Epidemiology than ever before. A lot of people associated us with COVID-19, and we wanted to show the public that we do a lot more than this. The social media project was created to highlight other diseases we work with, provide community engagement and maintain our relationship with the community. Through this project, we have been able to post monthly blog posts on the THD social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. In addition, we have provided an opportunity in some blog posts for the public to “meet an Epidemiologist.”
Regional Prevention Coordinators
• Current grants held by RPC: Alcohol Block Grant, PFS Opioid, PFS Stimulant
• Held two successful Rx Take Back Events in partnership with CAPSAT and various community partners, resulting in vast amounts of unwanted, unused, and expired Rx prescription drugs ridded from Tulsa County resident’s homes aiding in safe and proper medication disposal efforts. 2,645 lbs of medication were collected between the two events.
• 2021 Red Ribbon Outreach: RPC Coordinators work closely with partner coalitions, STOPDUI Task Force and CAPSAT to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. Both coalitions partnered with several key community agencies/organizations to host a Red Ribbon Walk/Parade held on 10/26/2021. The theme for 2021 was “Drug Free looks like Me." Similar messages conveyed the importance of it being perfectly acceptable amongst your peers to remain drug and alcohol free.
• Numerous community and staff in-service educational trainings were conducted throughout FY2021-2022 with 800+ lock boxes and 900+ personal disposal medication bags being shared with Tulsa community members.
Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps
• Continued to provide support to our community during the last year by not only serving during the continued COVID-19 Response, but also by supporting other community events with first aid stations, emergency/disaster preparedness booths and participating in community partners drills and exercises.
• OKMRC volunteer investment into the community is valued at over $243,000
• OKMRC volunteers received three national and one global award this year. Dr. Tom Carson – Outstanding MRC Responder of the Year, Dr. Karen Fritz – Outstanding Preparedness & Resilience Volunteer of the Year, Carrie C. Suns – Mentor of the Year, and Jessika Kennedy – Global Points of Light Award
Children First
• C-1 team coordinated and administered COVID vaccines to homebound patients throughout Tulsa County beginning in September 2021 through December 2021.
Information Technology
• Information Technology Services has migrated all staff documents and information to OneDrive and SharePoint. Since these systems are Cloud based, they provide safe and protected backups of files off-site. They also allow staff to access their information from any device or location with an internet connection. In the event of an emergency or during a response, such as COVID-19, these new systems help ensure the continuity of operations. The added benefit of OneDrive and SharePoint is that they allow programs to share and collaborate more efficiently to serve our community better.
Food Protection Services
• Completed NACCHO Retail Program Standards Cohort 10 Mentorship with Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments (Georgia) on August 31, 2021.
• DeBrena Hilton, FPS Manager, and Rebekah Patton, FPS Data Analyst, were selected to be Subject Matter Expert’s to during the Standard 9 – Baseline Risk Factor Study Exhibit Hall Booth track sessions at the Virtual Retail Program Standards Symposium. They were able to provide information of how Tulsa Health Department successfully met Standard 9 and answer any questions
Healthy Living Program
•Built partnership with seven jurisdictions in Tulsa County to address ordinance updates (changing the age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21 to mirror state law), wayfinding (helping people find active living), tobacco free-city owned property and farmers markets. Implementation and policy should be developed in FY23.
• Partnered with the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to conduct bike audits, a simple walk through areas in Tulsa using a checklist to identify issues that make walking, riding a bike, or driving a car unsafe or uncomfortable. Communities that are walkable promote health, active living and foster a sense of connection,
• Partnered with the American Lung Association in Oklahoma in which we were able to work together to identify multi-unit housing complexes with tobacco-free policies or interests in policies.
WIC
• Recent formula recalls and shortages have certainly had many women considering breastfeeding initiation and/or continuation. Our Peers and WIC staff have been on hand to answer questions about breastfeeding and provide guidance during this unprecedented time. In emergencies, where no clean water may be accessible, breastfeeding remains as a safe source of nourishment for infants.
Data
Epidemiology
• Conducted 8 outbreak investigations related to community establishments and events. Also, participated in working up 3 enteric illness clusters that had both regional and national implications.
• Provided mosquito and tick-borne illness education to 400 individuals.
• Provided respiratory education to 20 individuals.
• Conducted 11 community presentations to 185 individuals covering infant mortality, COVID-19, Monkeypox, and the Epidemiology Program.
• Conducted 21 media interviews regarding COVID-19, Influenza, and West Nile Virus (mosquito prevention).
Healthy Living Program
• 23 Certified Healthy Business this year in Tulsa County
• 6 Certified College Campus
• 25 Certified Healthy Early Childhood Programs
• 53 Certified Healthy Schools
Epidemiology Disease Investigations*
• Cryptosporidiosis: 20 cases
• Campylobacter: 129 cases
• Coronavirus: 103,829 cases
• E. coli: 35 cases
• H. flu: 25 cases
• HAV: 0 cases
• HBV: 426 cases
• HCV: 1,607 cases
• Meningitis: 1 case
• Measles: 0 cases
• Mumps: 0 cases
• Pertussis: 1 case
• Salmonellosis: 163 cases
• Shigellosis: 16 cases
• Tickborne (RMSF and Ehrlichiosis): 1 case
• West Nile Virus: 3 cases
*This case count only reflects the number of confirmed and probable cases.