EMERGENCY PLANNING
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND engineers have good news-you could call it a free shot in the arm for county emergency responders and planners facing down the flu season and the threat of pandemics like the bird flu. Researchers at Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering have developed software to help public health officials run the most effective and efficient vaccination clinics possible. The software can help officials design clinics and streamline processes so that the greatest number of people can be vaccinated as quickly as possible, which is especially important in a crisis situation. The software was developed after extensive time studies at training exercises for mass smallpox vaccinations and mass dispensing of antibiotics in case of anthrax. Jeffrey Herrmann, associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering and the Institute for Systems Research, developed the system and says the clinic planning model can help officials create emergency preparedness plans. Although clinic planning models are already available to help evaluate clinic capacity, Herrmann's model is the only one to address congestion and line formation in mass-dispensing scenarios. Planners all around the country have been collaborating on the research and are using the software to design their clinics. Shots are still no fun, that's for sure. But with streamlined plans for vaccinations clinics, at least the wait might be a bit less painful. -LYNNE SHALLCROSS
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