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LEED Pilot Credits
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Innovation

Safety First: Pandemic Planning

LEED CREDIT

Pilot-Credits INpc140: 1 point

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Credit language

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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To prepare for, control and mitigate the domestic spread of a pandemic causing widespread disease and deaths that pose high risk to humans.

Requirements

Requirements for the pandemic preparedness planning:

Convene and facilitate an interdisciplinary team - Identify experts and individuals representing cross-sectoral and diverse backgrounds, with expertise to evaluate well-in-advance, possible impacts of a looming pandemic on the city or community. Such a taskforce will advise decision makers on both short- and long-term issues pertaining to pandemic preparedness planning and response.

Identify Risk and Vulnerabilities – Determine the risks to the health of the city or community. Identify the historical, geographical, epidemiological and other factors from which a city or community might be at risk. Use national/state level historic data of pandemic outbreaks/public health emergencies to identify the potential risk and probability of occurrence. Identify at-risk individuals with access and functional needs that may be disproportionately impacted; refer to the Demographic Assessment prerequisite for guidance on socio-cultural groups to evaluate.

Assess Pandemic Preparedness and Response –Evaluate the existing preparedness of the city or community for the following areas of pandemic planning as per the local, county, state or national level guidance on pandemic preparedness:

  • Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Activities- Seasonal and non-seasonal infection surveillance systems, domestic testing laboratories, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and capacity for rapid response outbreak investigation, verification and monitoring.
  • Measures to prepare communities to mitigate risks - Individual and community level Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) identifying physical distancing recommendations, assessment on travel, border and mass gathering restrictions.
  • Medical Countermeasures (MCMs)- Availability and accessibility to MCMs such as diagnostic devices, vaccines, therapeutics, and respiratory protective devices, ventilators, and others to ensure public health preparedness and timely response.
  • Healthcare System Preparedness- Mapping of existing public and private healthcare facilities including total bed capacity, ICUs, isolation wards and other alternative emergency arrangements, healthcare personnel assessment (current numbers, expertise, and geographical distribution), medicines, supplies and medical devices required for response, business continuity plans at referral hospitals, infection prevention and control in healthcare settings, mapping of mortuary and cemetery capacity.
  • Communications and Public Outreach- Formal structures/public communication units to conduct risk communication and community engagement, ethics committee, surveys on socio-cultural factors that affect communication.
  • Domestic Response Policy, Incident Management, and Global Partnerships and Capacity Building- Existing multi-hazard public health emergency response plans, multi-sectoral coordination systems (between government ministries, competent authorities, NGOS and other stakeholders), relevant response policy and guidelines, key essential service staff capacity assessment.

Pandemic Preparedness Plan - Based on the capacity assessment and existing gaps, develop a comprehensive pandemic preparedness and response plan for the city or community. The plan should identify goals and objectives for each of the strategic areas listed above, address the present challenges and gaps and identify opportunities for enhancing future resilience.

Education and Training – Provide public health preparedness and response training and guidance to community partners and other stakeholders in order to address risks including, but not limited to, those identified in the city or community risk assessment.

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USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Intent

To prepare for, control and mitigate the domestic spread of a pandemic causing widespread disease and deaths that pose high risk to humans.

Requirements

Requirements for the pandemic preparedness planning:

Convene and facilitate an interdisciplinary team - Identify experts and individuals representing cross-sectoral and diverse backgrounds, with expertise to evaluate well-in-advance, possible impacts of a looming pandemic on the city or community. Such a taskforce will advise decision makers on both short- and long-term issues pertaining to pandemic preparedness planning and response.

Identify Risk and Vulnerabilities – Determine the risks to the health of the city or community. Identify the historical, geographical, epidemiological and other factors from which a city or community might be at risk. Use national/state level historic data of pandemic outbreaks/public health emergencies to identify the potential risk and probability of occurrence. Identify at-risk individuals with access and functional needs that may be disproportionately impacted; refer to the Demographic Assessment prerequisite for guidance on socio-cultural groups to evaluate.

Assess Pandemic Preparedness and Response –Evaluate the existing preparedness of the city or community for the following areas of pandemic planning as per the local, county, state or national level guidance on pandemic preparedness:

  • Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Activities- Seasonal and non-seasonal infection surveillance systems, domestic testing laboratories, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and capacity for rapid response outbreak investigation, verification and monitoring.
  • Measures to prepare communities to mitigate risks - Individual and community level Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) identifying physical distancing recommendations, assessment on travel, border and mass gathering restrictions.
  • Medical Countermeasures (MCMs)- Availability and accessibility to MCMs such as diagnostic devices, vaccines, therapeutics, and respiratory protective devices, ventilators, and others to ensure public health preparedness and timely response.
  • Healthcare System Preparedness- Mapping of existing public and private healthcare facilities including total bed capacity, ICUs, isolation wards and other alternative emergency arrangements, healthcare personnel assessment (current numbers, expertise, and geographical distribution), medicines, supplies and medical devices required for response, business continuity plans at referral hospitals, infection prevention and control in healthcare settings, mapping of mortuary and cemetery capacity.
  • Communications and Public Outreach- Formal structures/public communication units to conduct risk communication and community engagement, ethics committee, surveys on socio-cultural factors that affect communication.
  • Domestic Response Policy, Incident Management, and Global Partnerships and Capacity Building- Existing multi-hazard public health emergency response plans, multi-sectoral coordination systems (between government ministries, competent authorities, NGOS and other stakeholders), relevant response policy and guidelines, key essential service staff capacity assessment.

Pandemic Preparedness Plan - Based on the capacity assessment and existing gaps, develop a comprehensive pandemic preparedness and response plan for the city or community. The plan should identify goals and objectives for each of the strategic areas listed above, address the present challenges and gaps and identify opportunities for enhancing future resilience.

Education and Training – Provide public health preparedness and response training and guidance to community partners and other stakeholders in order to address risks including, but not limited to, those identified in the city or community risk assessment.

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