Board of Health Director Tom FitzGerald. (WNG File Photo)
SOUTHWICK – Board of Health Director Tom FitzGerald gave an update on the town’s Point of Distribution (POD) plan. A POD is a site that is used to hold a large number of medications in town in the event of a disaster. FitzGerald used the Anthrax scare in 2005 as a prime example of something that his plan would be based on.
When a major emergency occurs throughout the country, there tends to be public distribution centers located within communities. Massachusetts has distribution centers for every town or city while a majority of states go by county rather than town or city.
If an immediate threat to every town or city in the country were to occur, like an anthrax scare, FitzGerald pointed out that people will need an organized way to get their medicine or prescription drugs.
Since the topic was first broached in December 2016 FitzGerald has been compiling a list of potential candidate locations within the town.
The difference with a closed POD is that they’re used strictly for a larger employer in town, or a business that has a great amount of people regularly in their building. FitzGerald sees this as a major benefit for the rest of the community as it would decrease the amount of people going to the open POD.
“This would ease the stress and strain on an open pod,” said FitzGerald.
A few of the businesses that are considered candidates for a closed POD in town include the Southwick Town Hall, the American Inn, and Big Y. In order to be a serious candidate, businesses would need a nursing component, which is having a medical person on site. The location also needs to be a secure setting and have an area to keep the medications.
The actual process of closed POD’s having medication would entail having someone to pick up the medication from the open POD. When town and local officials met in December to discuss their option for an open POD in town, it was determined that the Southwick Regional School will be the open POD in Southwick.
