Get Prepared for the Epidemic Preparedness Panel on Friday

Originally submitted by: Sandy Bottoms

I walked away from this panel feeling more screwed than I was before. Our elected officials are basically telling us that in the event of an emergency, it's up to us. Citizens need to train themselves in case of a medical emergency or other disaster. The government is strapped for time and resources. In the event of an epidemic, the police and medical workers get the vaccines first. Many of them may flee for their own safety. We who are able-bodied are responsible for child care, care of our own sick loved ones, and our own survival. Be prepared for anything, because your government services that you pay for are not going to be enough. In the event of an emergency, citizens will be called upon to lead.

Originally submitted by: jadelay

At the end of this panel, I didn't feel so much screwed over as I felt frustrated about the kind of "individual stockpiling" and personal responsibility stigma that seemed to be recommended.

I agree that it is a good idea for individual citizens to take care of their own first. And I know that I don't pay much attention to warnings either. So, I think that some on the panel felt it more urgent to get the information out on how to be prepared for an epidemic rather than how to deal with the issue collectively. I was very interested in learning about how community groups could be called on to band together to help people when an epidemic occurs. I guess I was thinking about the play "Angels in America," and how Prior relied on the system through the nurse Emily, who was a great model for a good public health advocate...but he also had to rely on his friend Belize, who was also a professional, and at the same time knew the alternative medicines that would be helpful and that would make Prior's pain and suffering less so. Belize knew about these alternative medicines because he was a member of another community. He had an expertise that the other experts in the health system didn't necessarily have. (Belize also helped Roy Cohn too, by warning him about the double blind trials etc.) The point is that friends and others, especially the groups and other communities we all belong to, are very important in an epidemic. The panelists knew that too, but the emphasis was on individual responsibility.

I have to say that in an epidemic I want Belize and Emily to have the drugs first. They are the ones who know and can best help, just as each helped Prior and Roy in" Angels." And I feel comfortable with the people in charge. The Public Health Officer and the Emergency Management Services Director on the panel have models, have plans and gave me the impression that their departments are as ready as they can be. I am not alarmed about their professionalism and competence.

At the same time, I think that it is important for politicians and policy makers to know that they need to come to us-that is people who belong to communities with ideas for a more structured and planned dialogue about these issues...they can't just invite us in individually for a chat and a cup of coffee (which is what was suggested I think) and ask our opinions, when we first need to have a better understanding of what actually occurs in an epidemic. It is not a snowstorm warranting a "snow day" or even a brief blackout.

An epidemic is a catastrophe. As Prior's individual situation pointed out (and multiply his situation a hundredfold for other gay men across the nation) AIDS was cataclysmic to the gay community during the 1980s. A generation of individuals was tragically lost. The health system in such a cataclysm is incredibly overloaded. For this reason, resourceful solutions, among them friends, community groups and others beyond family, have to be called on to help.

In a time, when more people are living alone, including those who are in their 20s and 30s, I was hoping we could have talked with the panelists about ways to make Belize's help to Prior an example worth copying at a group level. The support groups that were created during the AIDS epidemic among gay men and the reliance on friendship networks is a model to consider for communities who must rely on government and those who are
the experts, but who also can bring to the table community knowledge that the experts don't have. The experts, need to ask, however, and not put us off unintentionally by suggesting that we only need to take personally responsibility for learning about the hazards and heed warnings and then somehow we will be well prepared for an epidemic.

Originally submitted by: Administrator

I felt that the panelists were certainly competent and I feel secure in their abilities to make decisions. However, in the end, it's still up to me (if I'm healthy enough) and my immediate community to survive a major disaster.

A pandemic or epidemic throws out all of the rules. I need more training and education. This site will become more of a crossroads of good information for our members in the days and weeks to come. The information we have been given by our elected officials, along with our own education, and shared resources will keep our heads above water.

We cannot rely on our government services in the time of need. So we must prepare ourselves now. The services they provide can give us the information, nothing more. So I recommend we take the information, and learn to rely on our own instincts in case of an emergency.

We can look at the relationship between Prior and Belize as a good model. But Prior is an upper-class patient who can afford his treatment, and in order to get the AZT that will help prolong his life, Belize must work in secret and break the law to get the medicine. I hope that if I were dying, I would have a Belize around to help. But I don't know if I'm that well connected. And in the event of a vaccine shortage, I know that my chances would be even slimmer of getting priority treatment.