The announcement of the vaccination plan will occur during a special training for healthcare workers on how to administer the smallpox vaccine. The training is being jointly conducted by the state Department of Health Services and HSA staff, and will occur at the Redwood Conference Room located at 800 Scenic Drive in Modesto at the Behavioral Health Services building. This building is located immediately west of the Public Health Building located at 820 Scenic Drive.

TIME SENSITIVE

Dr. John Walker, Public Health Officer for HSA, will be available at the training between 10:00 a.m. and noon for interviews in regard to the implementation.

Media will be invited to photograph this training between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and noon. It is anticipated that attendees will be trained on how to use the special bifurcated needles necessary to administer the vaccine between 10:45 a.m. and

11:45 a.m. The attendees will practice using the needle during this time period without use of vaccine.

Stanislaus County is one of few counties in California to develop an inter-hospital response team in the event of a smallpox case. In most counties, hospitals are working independently to vaccinate staff and prepare to respond to a case at their facility. In Stanislaus County, staff members of the five (5) hospitals in Stanislaus County and HSA staff, will work together as a team to provide care at the hospital where a patient would present.

The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency (HSA) is an outpatient medical system with 10 medical offices located throughout Stanislaus County. The HSA operates the Public Health Department, an Urgent Care Center and multiple programs serving over 500,000 patients and clients each year in Stanislaus County. The HSA has extensive community health information available at its web site www.hsahealth.org