Missouri's Pandemic Influenza Summit

The Governor’s Office and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services worked closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to host Missouri’s Pandemic Planning Summit. The Summit was held in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 23 at the Busch Student Center, St. Louis University. Approximately 375 attended the Summit in the morning, and many of them stayed in the afternoon to provide input and contribute to Missouri's planning process during the 12 Pandemic Preparedness subcommittee meetings.

Acknowledging that pandemics happen and require a strong local response, Gov. Matt Blunt and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary Alex Azar signed a resolution, committing the state and federal government to planning efforts. In the planning resolution, HHS commits to providing guidance and technical assistance to Missouri and an initial amount of financial assistance for planning and agrees to review the state’s plans for use, storage and distribution of antivirals and notify it of its portion of the federal stockpile of pandemic influenza antiviral drugs. Missouri agrees to assure that its operational plan for pandemic influenza response is an integral element of the overall state and local emergency response plan and to establish a Pandemic Preparedness Coordinating Committee representing all relevant stakeholders. The state will also notify HHS of the amount of additional pandemic influenza antiviral drugs it will plan to purchase and will exercise its preparedness plan within six months of the February 23 summit.