Pandemic Preparedness Planning

British Columbia (BC) has a robust health emergency management system with experience responding to a range of events, including SARS and avian influenza. The Province has been proactive on pandemic influenza planning since 1999, when a pandemic advisory committee was established. This work involved the development of the first BC Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Plan in 2003 (subsequently updated in 2005), Health Authority (HA) preparedness planning, training exercises, and business continuity planning. The current Canadian pandemic phase level is at the Pandemic Alert Phase 3; therefore, BC’s preparedness efforts are being further strengthened.

The Province is actively engaged with health partners across Canada to ensure a coordinated and consistent approach to pandemic influenza planning. In 2006, the Ministry of Health Services (MoHS) created a streamlined governance structure with the responsibility and authority to facilitate collaboration across the province for all health-related pandemic issues. The Provincial Pandemic Steering Committee provides the oversight for the pandemic planning structure and reports to the Deputy Minister of Health Services and to Leadership Council. The operational arm of the Steering Committee is the Pandemic Influenza Management Committee (supported by the MoHS Pandemic Secretariat), which coordinates the planning efforts of its six working groups: Public Health, Clinical Care, Logistics, Human Resources, Communications, and Psychosocial.