Collierville will cooperate with the Shelby County Health Department’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program on Dec. 12 for a door to door medication delivery exercise.
The exercise will test the viability of door to door distribution as an effective tool for medication delivery in an urban environment.
Public health employees and volunteers will distribute sealed, empty medication bottles to nearly 2,800 residences to specific areas in the Collierville and Germantown communities.
In the event of a real emergency, the bottles would hold the necessary medications to treat or prevent adverse reactions to bioterrorism events, such as anthrax.
“Door to door delivery is just one way of getting medicine to people quickly. This type of exercise will allow us to see if this is a mode of delivery we can pursue and depend on in a time of emergency,” said Dr. Helen Morrow, Health Officer for the Shelby County Health Dept. “At this time, we have no reason to believe a threat is eminent, but exercise and preparation is our best course of action to ensure our ability to effectively respond to threats if they occur.”
The drill distribution area for Collierville will be in two areas. The largest area is from St. George’s Independent School, south of Frank Road and west of the Northwest Waste Water Treatment Plant to the Collierville town line. The second area is north of Wolf River Blvd. and west of John Ridge Drive.
PHEPP strives to introduce new and proactive ways to effectively serve the community during public health emergencies. Our top priority is the safety and well-being of citizens in Shelby County and the Mid-South.
For more information about this exercise, call 270-7179.
