Epidemic Management: Responding to Zika, or any Disease, in a Virtual EOC

With over 4,000 cases of Zika in the U.S alone, Zika is no longer a problem only for those who have visited South America recently. As the threat has become more and more pressing, hospitals and public health systems across the country are receiving grants and looking for the most efficient and effective way to manage Zika. A similar process was taking place back in the spring of 2015 as Ebola outbreaks were spreading and shaking up the health care system. 

Yale New Haven Health System teamed up with Veoci to create a “Playbook for Disasters” as a real-time solution to manage Ebola preparedness, drills and responses to suspected outbreaks. Click here to read about our Ebola playbook with YNHHS-CEPDR. The features that make the playbook successful are features that Veoci is proud to share with hospitals for just about any type of crisis or disease outbreak. 

Many hospitals and public health systems are turning to a virtual EOC to streamline their preparedness and response processes, provide full visibility and centralize all communication and data on one, single platform. Bringing Everyone onto the Central Information Hub Public health officials are faced with the task of coordinating information with local, state, federal and even international organizations that are tracking the same disease. Healthcare providers, hospitals, other local/county agencies and private sector organizations are geographically scattered, but are instantly united in a virtual EOC in times where immediate, real-time communication is key.

• Share messages, pictures, videos, files, and locations instantly in a real-time chat room and integrate with your emails
• Send alerts and notifications across all departments for reminders, urgent messages or check-in requests
• Create custom forms on a drag-and-drop template and automatically generate reports to collect relevant data
• View all high-level information from a customizable dashboard
• Stay connected and access all features from anywhere via our mobile app for iOS and Android

Activating a Plan: Preparing for Zika 

 Prior to a case of Zika or any major disease ever appearing in your county, health care officials need to have a preparedness plan that is tailored to their unique processes.

• At the click of a button, assign tasks and workflows as you track progress each step of the way to completion
• Instantly access and review automatically generated reports and dashboard information for quick decision making

Mapping and Tracking Data Visually 

 In order for a plan to activate and unfold smoothly, key people, assets and resources must be ready and in place.

• Enter preexisting demographic data and map people, resources and assets as well as their condition and current status with color-coded icons on a digital, interactive GIS map
• Share map access with the public and media to ensure valuable information is shared with those who need to know

Security Measures to Protect Data 

 With critical and sensitive data, security is everything.

• Ensure HIPAA compliance and industrial grade security
• Compartmented information with different access levels to ensure certain information is only accessible by those authorized

One Stop Shop 

 Maintaining an up-to-date one stop shop for all communication, data collection, reports, your paperless paper trail of customized forms related to Zika, all maps showing assets and demographics data, and, of course, your means of instant notification during an emergency, ensures that the response team feels more prepared to respond collaboratively across departments and sectors. And after the response is over, you now have a full record of every action and exchange that took place. For those who want a streamlined, efficient response to any crisis or outbreak that may arise, paper is out and virtual communication and response centers are in.