CSTS | Department of Psychiatry | Uniformed Services University | 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799 | www.CSTSonline.org

Pandemic Preparedness & Response:
Critical Elements for Business Planning
Preparing for and responding to
the movement of people and goods,…pandemic planning must address theinfectious disease outbreaks is a shared
which will threaten essential services
responsibility involving governmentand operations within and acrossextreme health and mental health impact(local, state, and federal) and theour nation as well as around theassumptions and containment strategiesprivate sector. In the event of anworld. The ability to implement
infectious disease outbreak, humaneffective pandemic preparedness
projected for a severe pandemic.
to-human transmission of the virus
plans, continuously monitor all
across multiple countries and different
business activities, and effect rapid
continents may happen.
adjustments based upon observed and anticipated impacts
Though many businesses have extensive contingency plans
will be the hallmark of the business that copes most effectively
in response to threats from diverse natural and manmade
during a pandemic.
disasters, pandemic planning must address the extreme health
The following points related to an organization’s humanand mental health impact assumptions and containment
continuity are often forgotten and must be incorporated into
strategies projected for a severe pandemic.
workplace pandemic planning to sustain employee health,A pandemic will likely reduce dramatically the number
mental health, and productivity.
of available workers in all sectors, and significantly disrupt
Planning and Preparedness
1. Distress behaviors and resilience, not just illness, arecritical targets for workplace planning and response
efforts. Heath risk emotions and behaviors to be mitigatedinclude worry, fear, insomnia, difficulty concentrating,avoiding certain situations at work, and increased use ofalcohol or tobacco. These do not constitute disease but
nonetheless disrupt and diminish social and occupationalfunctioning.
2. All workers/workforces are not the same. Small
businesses often do not have internal or employee healthassistance vendor resources for psychosocial support
that larger workplaces may have. Smaller companies
do not necessarily have access to professional security,
occupational health, or employee assistance programs.
3. Sustained support over the “trajectory” of a pandemic will
require considerable resources and a shifting of emphasis
over time. The effects of a pandemic outbreak are not thesame as a single-event disaster and requires planning for a
prolonged or extended impact.
4. Business-community integration and pooling of resourcesmust be explored. Businesses must identify who willcomprise their human response teams to conduct criticalincident needs assessment (CINAT) during a pandemic
and facilitate adaptive response.

Response1. Employee health protective behaviors such as movement
restriction or “home quarantine” must be encouraged toreduce disease spread, but these behaviors will impact
productivity.
2. Family care and support are critical to business/humancapital continuity. Employees who feel reassured about thewell-being of their family are more likely to come to work
and, when present, function productively
3. Leadership endorsement of and participation inpreparedness, prevention, and grief management arenecessary for success. Grief will be a significant componentof the overall emotional cost of a pandemic. Acknowledging
grief within the workplace and making time for employees toaddress this through various rituals and activities strengthensorganizations.
4. Knowledge of and delivery of Psychological First Aid (PFA),
an evidence-informed intervention favored over debriefingin the immediate aftermath of a disaster, must be considered
in workplace pandemic planning and response. PFA involves
enhancing feelings of safety, calming, social connectedness,
self- and organizational-efficacy, and hope/optimism.
5. Continuation of worker productivity is not only importantto national infrastructure/security, but an important
contributor to the sustained mental health of our population.