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10. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Be aware
 If a pandemic disease starts to circulate, you will know it,
as the media will cover it extensively. Check www.newcanaan.info frequently, and turn to this site
for further recommendations as they pertain to New Canaan residents, as conditions
unfold.
What you can anticipate
Depending on how sudden a pandemic takes hold, and how quickly
it starts to spread, you can expect grocery stores and pharmacies
to be inundated by those
who neglected
to reserve food and water, obtain medicines and supplies, and get disaster
kits and supplies ready. You may expect stores to be sold out of basic supplies.
You
may expect many stores to close. You will be very glad indeed that you invested
the time and energy to follow the preparation steps outlined in this site.
 Across
the country, health authorities including those from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and in
Connecticut, the Connecticut Department
of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Department of
Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS), will have already
begun to mobilize resources available to them. But,
remember that federal government agencies as well as state agencies
will not be equipped to provide direct assistance to towns and individual
households.
You must be prepared yourself, notwithstanding that you will get support
from the Town and many town constituents to help you manage through
the pandemic
period.
 In New
Canaan, the Department of Health, the Office
of Emergency Management, and the Office of
the First Selectman along with
the Red Cross will coordinate
activities designed to manage town affairs in response to the pandemic.
You will manage your household and draw upon Town resources
as necessary. But, remember that Town resources will be stretched,
so the better prepared
you
are, the better off the Town will be.
If you get sick
If you or a family member gets sick, stay at home. Put your
planning in motion and manage the illness and monitor the status.
Take medications
as necessary,
get rest, and drink plenty of fluids. Is fever present? Are there severe
body and muscle aches? If so, it is more likely to be the flu than
a cold.
Call
your doctor.
The first few days when a pandemic virus is circulating
 Within the first few days, you will be able to get a better
sense whether the illness is a cold or flu. Media reports may
give
you further information
about
probabilities, confirmation of symptoms, and suggestions. Depending
upon the severity of a pandemic strain, it is possible that you could
be fine
in the
morning, but be overwhelmed by noon. Call your doctor.
In the first day, if symptoms have worsened, ask your doctor
about the availability of anti-viral medications. Remember, anti-virals
must
be
taken early to have
any effect, and it is unknown how effective any anti-viral will be,
given the particular characteristics of the virus. Also, anti-viral
drugs will
be in
very,very short supply, and may not be available.
As matters progress
In the first few days, you will already have followed
recommendations from your doctor and suggestions
in this site. During a pandemic
period, resources
will
be limited and the health care system will be strained. Depending
upon severity of the disease, you may be able to stay at home as
the illness
runs its
course.
To the extent possible, your objective is to stay
at home.
- Avoid going to
your doctor’s office
- Avoid going to the emergency rooms at Norwalk or Stamford
Hospitals
- If you do have a pandemic flu, you run the risk
of infecting others; if you don’t have a pandemic flu,
you run the risk of being infected by others who might
Communicate
with your doctor.
Communicate with town resources
that will be made available to you through information in
this site, from the Emergency Operations Center and
from the Red
Cross.
If conditions worsen
If you can’t manage your illness or if someone in your family has significantly
worsened, the Town has planned for and will have mobilized “intermediary
care facilities,” in New Canaan, dedicated to pandemic flu patients. Call
the Red Cross, 966-1663, for evaluation of circumstances including suggested
modes of transportation. The New Canaan Department of
Health, in conjunction
with your doctor, will make further determinations about your status. New
Canaan
authorities will coordinate with local hospitals including Norwalk and Stamford,
concerning availability and suitability, for hospital admissions.
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