GRITS – Katrina Project Thomas M. Moss GRITS Manager NIC 2006

Project Vision Background Goals Actions Taken Success Stories Lessons Learned

Project Background Hurricane Katrina makes land August 29, 2005 Main States Affected –Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama Millions without immunization records Thousands being evacuated to Georgia –Estimated over 10,000 school age children and families

Project Goals Provide timely service and information to those with a need to know at the location where services were being given –Super Centers –Evacuation Facilities –Hospitals –Public Health Clinics –Private Physicians Clinics –Public and Private Schools –Day Care Centers Have Evacuee’s immunization information available in GRITS within 24 hours from the time that the GRITS Help Desk received a request

Project Goals Ensure that information is managed in a secure fashion Ensure that information could be electronically provided to the Immunization Registries that were affected by Katrina if requested. Provide timely status reports to the Emergency Command Center

Project Actions Activate Emergency Response Plan Identify best method to handle increase in calls for support and information –GRITS has 1 Toll Free Help Desk Number –Added 2 additional numbers 1 Toll Free 1 Local to Metro Atlanta –GRITS has 1 Help Desk Address –Added 1 additional Address

Project Actions Contact and sign agreement for access to immunization registries in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama –LINKS – Access granted September 2 –MIR – Access granted September 2 –AIR – Access granted September 12 Create a unique Organization within GRITS for each of the affected states allowing for later extraction of evacuee immunization information by ho

Project Actions The GRITS Process … Request portals managed by all members of the GRITS Team Information submitted by requestor –On Evacuee Full Name Mothers Maiden Name (if available) Date of Birth County/Parish relocated from (if available) SSN or Registry ID (if available)

Project Actions The GRITS Process … Information submitted by requestor –On Requestor Full Name GRITS Organization Code or Name of Organization if not a GRITS Partner Follow-up Phone Number Follow-up FAX Number Follow-up Address Preferred method of follow-up contact

Project Actions The GRITS Process … Request received by other than GRITS Program Associates recorded the information and forwarded the information to the GRITS Program Associates GRITS Program Associates –Research immunization information in LINKS, MIR, AIR through secured access –Log into GRITS using Unique Organization created for home state of the evacuee –If information is located then immunization history is entered into GRITS

Project Actions The GRITS Process … GRITS Program Associates –If Requesting Organization is a GRITS Partner, then program associate contacts the GRITS partner via the method selected by the partner to inform them that the individual’s immunization information is in GRITS for them to access –If Requesting Organization is NOT a GRITS Partner, then Program Associate contacts the Organization via the method selected by the organization to inform them that the information is available and will be FAXed to them within the next 10 minutes (Once faxed the documents are shredded.)

Project Actions Getting the word out … Posted Announcement on GRITS Home Page to Partners on process to request and receive immunization information on Katrina evacuees Notified Georgia Immunization Program Consultants and Public Health District Immunization Coordinators of the process

Project Actions Getting the word out … Used partnership with Georgia Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics to blast fast all of their members informing them of the process to request and receive immunization information on Katrina evacuees Used partnerships with Children’s Hospital of Atlanta and Georgia Hospital Association to notify their partners of the process

Project Actions On the Front Line … 3 Metro Atlanta Super Centers –Immunization Program Consultants set up Immunization Station with Direct Internet connectivity to GRITS

Project Success Stories On the Front Line … 3 Metro Atlanta Super Centers –Immunization Station capability Researching in LINKS, MIR, AIR Entering into GRITS Printing new Immunization Record Printing new Georgia Form 3231 School Certificate –Average Processing Time of 21 minutes

Project Success Stories On the Front Line … Request through Help Desk –September 2 – September 27 Louisiana - LINKS –9,846 Immunization Transactions –1,115 Evacuees Mississippi – MIR –2,038 Immunization Transactions –189 Evacuees Alabama – AIR –50 Immunization Transactions –8 Evacuees –All Requests processed within 24 hours

Project Success Stories On the Front Line … Request through Help Desk –September 2 – February 28 Louisiana - LINKS –23,868 Immunization Transactions – 2,450 Evacuees Mississippi – MIR – 5,195 Immunization Transactions – 385 Evacuees Alabama – AIR – 160 Immunization Transactions – 11 Evacuees –All Requests processed within 1 business day

Project Lessons Learned Communications is KEY Flexibility and Mobility lends acceptability Providers now understand the need to support a statewide Immunization Information System Faith based organizations need to be part of the registry partnership in times of emergency Every IIS needs to have a solid Disaster Recovery Plan Even in emergency situations, the Department of Education enforces FERPA regulations concerning the sharing of student information with the Department of Public Health Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia’s Immunization Information System proved their worth in response to Katrina

Quotes from the Front Line “The registry made the process of enrolling my children in school and day care easy” “I wish my child’s information was in our state’s registry”

THE GRITS TEAM MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS