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Health department previews regional anthrax drill, warns residents about ticks
Summary
New Canaan’s health department told the commission it participated in a regional anthrax tabletop exercise and will take part in a full‑scale anthrax drill in Westport on April 17; staff also urged routine tick checks and noted rising building‑permit activity and the upcoming farmers market.
Amy, representing the New Canaan Health Department, reported that local staff participated in a tabletop anthrax exercise in Fairfield as preparation for a larger full‑scale anthrax drill scheduled for April 17 in Westport. The full drill will include mock patients and simulated dispensing and education stations to test workflows and communications across agencies.
"The tabletop is just when we talk about it through and what the actions would be," Amy said, describing the tabletop exercise as a conversation about roles. She added that the April full drill will use mock patients who move through dispensing stations and forms to simulate an actual response and test such elements as language‑access and behavioral injects.
Amy also updated the commission that the department provided a disease and vaccine presentation at LAPAM and that a volunteer clinician performed skin‑cancer screenings at the Schoolhouse Apartments. She warned that tick activity has increased and asked residents to perform routine tick checks; the department is accepting submitted ticks for testing and noted that turnaround times for results have lengthened.
Other operational notes: building‑permit activity rose in March, food inspections resumed with better weather, and the town’s farmers market begins Saturday; Health Department staff and interns will perform outreach and inspections there.
No formal action was recorded on these items; members asked clarifying questions about drill selection and information distribution.
