Respiratory protection policies and practices among the health care workforce exposed to influenza in New York State: evaluating emergency preparedness for the next pandemic.

Background: New York State hospitals are required to implement a respiratory protection program (RPP) consistent with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration respirator standard. Guidance provided during the 2009 novel H1N1 pandemic expanded on earlier recommendations, emphasizing the need to keep staff in all health care settings healthy to maintain services.

Methods: New York State hospitals with emergency departments having more than 1,000 visits annually were invited to participate; 23 hospitals participated.

Assessment of carbon monoxide exposure during the operation of indoor drive-through mass vaccination clinics.

Background: Drive-through mass vaccination clinics are an increasingly popular component of public health emergency response plans. One potential disadvantage, however, is the exposure of clinicians, volunteers, public health responders, and the public to carbon monoxide (CO) from vehicle exhaust emissions when clinics are held within garages or other enclosed structures.

Methods: CO levels were monitored during indoor drive-through clinics held on the same day at 2 separate locations in a rural upstate New York county.

A simple and inexpensive method for determining the effective ventilation rate in a negatively pressurized room using airborne particles as a tracer.

The ventilation rate within a negatively pressurized room is usually determined by measuring the exhaust air flow rate. This method does not account for air mixing factors and gives limited information on ventilation efficiency within the room. Effective ventilation rates have been determined using tracer gases such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).