Emergency preparedness exercises held at banks

Banks are good for something, see? They'll give you your poison medicine to get you through the bioengineered or other government sponsored terrorist attack. - Ed.

Deborah Seng pulled up to a bank drive-through today and left with a better idea of what to do in an public health emergency, such a bioterrorism attack or global pandemic.

She was one of dozens of people who participated an emergency preparedness exercise sponsored by the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health & Wellness that tested the use of bank drive-throughs to deliver medications in emergencies.

"I wanted to be prepared," said Seng, 51, of Portland, turning toward the health workers outside her car window: "Thanks for doing this!"

In the exercise, held at the National City Bank branches at 6511 Preston Highway and 2601 Bank St., workers gave about 200 drivers boxes of raisins representing antibiotics that would be used to treat people in the event of a bioterrorism attack with anthrax.

But health officials said the same distribution method could be used if, for example, swine flu became more virulent in the fall and vaccines or medicines needed to be distributed widely to the public.

"This model is basically adaptable to any number of disasters — natural or man-made," said Bill Wetter, preparedness manager for the local health department.

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