February 3, 2006
Contact: Sue Baker
For Immediate Release 738-2000
Avedisian, Kent Hospital officials, West Bay officials to meet to discuss pandemic flu preparedness
WARWICK– Mayor Scott Avedisian, town managers and/or emergency preparedness officials from the towns of East Greenwich, West Warwick, West Greenwich and Coventry will meet with Kent Hospital officials on Tuesday, February 14 to discuss the region’s plan should an influenza pandemic affect Rhode Island.
Kent Hospital has been designated by the Rhode Island Department of Health as the Kent County region’s coordinator for planning and preparedness to ensure prompt and efficient response, as well as continuity in medical services and government assistance.
Dr. Robert Baute, Kent’s president and CEO; Mark E. Crevier, the current senior vice president and COO, who has been named Baute’s successor upon his retirement next month; and Joe DiPetro, Kent’s vice president, are spearheading the preparedness efforts. In addition to their meeting with municipal officials, Kent administrators are also in the process of finalizing their own internal procedures to effectively address a pandemic.
Last month, Avedisian wrote to request that the meeting be arranged, noting that “the city and Kent Hospital have enjoyed a cooperative relationship as we work to address the varied and complex medical needs of our community, and that it is “essential that we continue to maintain open lines of communication in order to ensure an effective protocol for medical involvement and advice to municipalities during an emergency…[so that] we can ensure that each of our municipalities and Kent Hospital are working together to ensure the most effective response to a medical emergency.”
“We have a very strong working relationship with the communities in our service area and this will be especially helpful as we collaborate to ensure preparedness in the event of the arrival of a pandemic flu,” Baute said. “While no one can predict with certainty, the better informed and educated our community, the better off we will all be. We will be reaching out to our community organizations and health providers in the near future."
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