Lake County tests its ability to deliver in bioterror drill

The victims moved quickly along in a single-file line at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Lake Zurich, through a series of stations to the final stop where help was waiting -- a packet of Jelly Bellies.

The sweet treat served as the substitute for the antibiotic medications dispensed to volunteers acting as anthrax victims during a mock bioterrorism drill Thursday.

The aim was for the Lake County Health Department to test the efficiency of delivery and distribution of antibiotics, using county polling locations, to get help to residents.

The real antibiotics would come from the Strategic National Stockpile, which stores and rapidly deploys lifesaving pharmaceuticals to citizens during bioterrorism outbreaks. When needed, the drugs are requested by the county's health department and eventually distributed regionally to townships, then to polling locations.

St. Peter's is one of 149 polling places in Lake County that are designated as pharmaceutical dispensing sites in the case of a bioterrorism emergency.

For people who don't know of where to go, the health department plans to send households magnets bearing polling place information as a reminder.

"It's a convenient way for people to remember the location of their polling place." said the health department's Leslie Piotrowski. "All people have to do is look on their refrigerator and there it is."

Lake County Board Vice Chairman Michael Talbett said people can go to any polling place, not just the one where they are registered, to receive antibiotics.

"Everyone who comes in for medication, will get medication," he said.

Demonstrations were also conducted at Peace Lutheran Church in Lake Zurich and at 114 Washington St. in Ingleside.

Thursday's demonstration at St. Peter's gathered around 200 volunteers from across Lake County. The county health department, clerk's office, emergency management agency, transportation department, medical reserve corps and 30 of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets from North Chicago and Zion-Benton high schools participated in the drill. Cadets were asked to act as victims, and they were sent to registration, screening, consulting and antibiotic dispensing stations.

If an actual outbreak occurred, health department officials say they would be able to distribute medication to 200 people per hour, within a 48-hour period, to cover every Lake County resident.

"We expect around 2,000 people on average per polling site," said Chet Splitt, emergency management specialist, "It takes cooperation and communication. Getting the intended antibiotics to the public would just be a matter of phone calls and generally a quick process."