CCRF Newsletter

April 19, 2004

Welcome to the CCRF Newsletter.  This will be published on the CCRF website on the first and third Mondays of each month.  This newsletter is designed to keep you informed of Readiness and Response issues, offer you tips and techniques and to answer commonly asked questions.

This and future emails will highlight the topics covered in the current issue of the CCRF Newsletter and provide links to more detailed content on the online Newsletter.


In this issue:

RESPONSE:

  • Current and on-going responses:  
    • DC DOH Lead Response
    • Bethel, AK
    • Kodiak, AK
    • MAB  
    • Iraq
    • Typhoon Sudal
    • World Bank Meeting
  • Upcoming responses:
    • WWII Memorial Dedication
    • G8 Summit  
    • Democratic National Convention
    • Republican National Convention
    • 2004 Summer Olympics

TRAINING

  • CCRF is now accepting applications for:
    • Combined Humanitarian Assistance Response Training (CHART)
  • Upcoming BLS Courses

IMMUNIZATION

  • OFRD's immunization policy


IT/WEBSITE

  • Readiness Status
    • Current and PY04 status available
    • Missing requirements links available

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM

  • Sign up to be fit tested

FAQs TOPIC - Readiness Status


RESPONSE

Current and On-going Responses:

  • On April 24, 2004 CCRF will support a lead-screening event for the Vietnamese community in Washington, DC.
  • CCRF Pharmacists and Nurses are in Bethel, AK at the Alaska Native Health Center just south of the Arctic Circle.
  • Primary Care Physicians are in Kodiak, AK to support the Kodiak Area Native Association. 
  • 5 CCRF Officers are responding to support the Medical Affairs Branch to review medical files, update MOU’s and contracts, and file room maintenance. 
  • CCRF officers are in Baghdad, Iraq supporting the Iraq Ministry of Health trying to rebuild a public health system in that country.
  • CCRF Liaison Officers (LNOs) responded to Typhoon Sudal and assisted with ESF #8 activities at the Regional Operations Center (ROC) in Oakland, CA.
  • CCRF members will be "on call" April 20-April 25, 2004 to staff Incident Management Teams (IMTs) for the World Bank Meeting.

Upcoming Responses:

  • The WWII Memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004, with 160,000 invited guests, including 60,000 WWII vets. CCRF health care providers are needed to staff medical tents and perform triage during this event.
  • The G-8 Summit, June 2004 in Sea Island, Georgia, United States.

  • The 2004 Democratic National Convention, July in Boston, Massachusetts.            

  • The 2004 Summer Olympics, Athens, Greece.

  • The 2004 Republican National Convention, August in New York, NY

     

TRAINING

  • CCRF is now accepting applications for 
    • Combined Humanitarian Assistance Response Training (CHART)
    • Please visit the training page (https://ccrf.hhs.gov/ccrf/adv_training.htm) for course descriptions and application requirements.
    • CCRF is offering BLS for Health Care Providers Recertification courses.  These courses will be held in conjunction with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP).  In order to attend a recertification course you must currently have American Heart Association BLS for Health Care Providers certification. 
    • Please visit the BLS page (https://ccrf.hhs.gov/ccrf/bls_training.htm) to apply.

IMMUNIZATIONS

  • CCRF's immunizations requirements can be found at http://ccrf.hhs.gov/ccrf/immuniza.htm
  • The following are the only acceptable requirements to comply with readiness standards.
  • Each immunization must be listed on your officer summary page.  Addtionally, list all doses received for multi-part series.  For example,  Hepatitis B, list each of the following on a separate line:  Hep B dose #1, Hep B dose #2, Hep B dose #3, and a 
    Hep B surface antibody  titer.  
  • MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)

    1) Medical documentation of (all three) measles, mumps, and rubella OR

    2) Documented positive titers for (all three) measles, mumps, and rubella OR

    3) Two doses of MMR vaccine

    4) OR fulfilling any one of the three requirements for each of the following three illnesses:

    • For Measles (Rubeola)

      1) medical record documenting previous illness, OR

      2) documented positive titer, OR

    3) first vaccination as an infant (>12 months of age) followed by a second vaccination or 2 adult doses at least 4 weeks apart

    • For Rubella

      1) medical record documenting previous illness, OR

      2) documented positive titer, OR

      3) 1 vaccination with MMR

     

    • For Mumps

      1) medical record documenting previous illness, OR

      2) documented positive titer, OR

      3) 1 vaccination with MMR

     

  • Chickenpox (Varicella )

1) medical record documenting previous illness, OR

2) documented positive titer, OR

3) single vaccination as an infant (>12 months), OR

4) 2-dose vaccination at least 4 weeks apart as adolescent or adult (š13 years)

  • Polio (Poliomyelitis)

1) medical record documenting previous illness, OR

2) three or four shot series as a child, followed by an ADULT booster (IPV) after the age of 18 years old OR

3) Two doses of IPV at 4-8 week interval and a third dose 6-12 months after the second, if unvaccinated or vaccination status is unknown

  • Tetanus/Diptheria (Td)

1) medical record documenting vaccination within the last 10 years

  • Influenza (Flu)

1) medical record documenting vaccination within the last 12 months

  • PPD (test for Tuberculosis)

1) documented negative test within the last 12 months OR

2) documented positive PPD AND documented negative chest X-ray.

  • Hepatitis A

1) medical record documenting two shot series of Hepatitis A, generally 6 to 12 months separating the two.

2) medical record documenting illness AND positive titer

  • Hepatitis B

1) Status of Hepatitis B infection documented by Hep B laboratory profile OR

2) medical record documenting history of the three shot series of Hepatitis B, at months 0, 1, and 6 - with flexibility for the schedule, AND a positive titer OR

3) In absence of positive titer after three shot series, a fourth shot should be given, followed by a positive titer 30 to 60 days afterward OR

4) In absence of positive titer after four immunizations, complete the remaining two shots of the second Hep B series, followed by a positive titer 30 to 60 days afterward OR

5) Some people will simply not ever have a positive titer. At the end of two Hep B series followed by negative titers, these individuals should be recorded as non-converters. This should not prevent the officer from completing their responsibility to have a Hep B vaccination.

IT/WEBSITE

Readiness Status

The Officer Summary Page (OSP) on the CCRF website now displays an officer’s current readiness status. An officer’s Readiness Status for Promotion Year 2004 (PY2004) is also listed.

The officer’s current Readiness Status is labeled "Readiness Status" and will display one of the following:

  • "BASIC" - indicates that an officer meets AT LEAST Basic Readiness Status by the "as-of" date.  This classification also includes those at the Intermediate and Advanced Levels.
  • "NOT Qualified" - indicates that an officer does NOT meet Basic Readiness Status by the "as-of" date.

The officers Readiness Status for Promotion Year 2004 (PY04) is labeled "PY04 Status" and indicates Readiness Status as of January 31, 2004. It will display one of the following:

  • "BASIC" - indicates that the officer met Basic Readiness Status OR the grandfathered pre-2004 Roster-qualified status (old CCRF requirements)
  • "NO" - indicates that that the officer met neither of the two qualifying options
  • "Not Eligible in 2004" - indicates that the officer was not promotion eligible in PY2004

If an officer does not meet readiness standards, the officer may click on either the "Readiness Status" link or the "PY04" link to view any missing requirements.

The PY04 status was closed as of January 31, 2004 but the officer's Readiness Status may certainly change over time. The Readiness Status as indicated on the OSP is expected to be updated on a bi-weekly basis.

Please note that while officers were able to qualify under either the BASIC readiness standard OR the old deployable status for consideration during PY04, officers are presently evaluated only against the new readiness standards. Therefore, it is possible that an officer might have qualified for the PY04 status while not currently being listed as BASIC. (i.e., Readiness Status - NOT Qualified but PY04 Status - BASIC)

Additionally, current tracking systems do not support ALL of the requirements for Intermediate and Advanced status (e.g. Respirator Fit-testing). For this reason, officers that might meet the requirements for Intermediate or Advanced levels will still be listed temporarily as BASIC.

 

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION PROGRAM

  • Officers may now sign up to be fit tested by CCRF and the 3M Corporation.  
  • Fit testing will take place in 12 locations around the country.  
  • Please be sure to read the FAQs to have all of your questions answered.
  • Link to RPP Page

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Topic: Readiness Status

Q: I just completed the BASIC training modules but the website still lists me as Not Qualified. What's wrong?

A: Remember that the readiness status on the website is updated monthly. Your new status will be reflected in the next update.

Q: I just completed the requirements for BASIC readiness. I know the site is updated monthly but I am applying for a training course. Will this prevent me from being accepted into the class?

A: While the website is updated monthly, CCRF staff members can get a real-time view of an officers qualifying requirements. Officers will be evaluated based on the most recent available information for training and deployments, even if the website has not been updated yet.

Q: I completed all of the requirements for BASIC readiness in February. Why does my PY04 Status still say NO?

A: Remember that the PY04 status is based on your status as of January 31, 2004. Any changes to your status since that point cannot be applied to your PY04 status.

Q: My readiness status says that I am missing immunizations but I sent documentation of all of them to Medical Affairs with my updated physical exam. Why aren't they listed?

A: It is the officer's responsibility to record all information on the CCRF website. Until you update the OSP, your status will still reflect those items as missing.

Q: My readiness status indicates that I am missing an immunization which I cannot take due to allergy. How do I correct this?

A: Officers that have contraindications to receiving specific immunizations must submit a memo to Medical Affairs requesting an immunization waiver. Medical Affairs will review the request and if approved, will notify both the officer and CCRF. CCRF will then update the officer's record with the waiver. Remember that some waivers contain expiration dates.

Q: Why would the readiness status reflect items as missing that I have already completed ?

A: The most common reasons are:

  1. You completed the items after the last update and the new status simply hasn't been updated yet.
  2. A cyclical requirement has expired (e.g. PPD is required annually)

 

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