Emergency Dispensing Sites (EDS): Guidance and Management

Training Overview

  • Audience: Public health professionals and emergency managers or planners
  • Format: Online, self-paced
  • Price: Free
  • Length: 1 hour
  • Contact hours: Massachusetts CHO, RN, RS
  • Competencies: Emergency Preparedness
  • Learning level: Awareness
  • Prerequisites: None
  • Companion training: Emergency Dispensing Site Management
  • Supplemental materials:
  • Facilitators Guide (PDF) is available if used in a classroom
  • Instructions to navigate the online training.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has issued a document entitled Emergency Dispensing Sites (EDS): A Guide for Local Health on Planning for Medical Countermeasure (MCM) Dispensing Operations (EDS Guidance). It provides guidance to public health and emergency management officials on how to distribute and dispense MCM to prevent against, protect from, and provide treatment for public health emergencies. Cities and towns have emergency management plans that designate specific locations in a community for the purpose of dispensing medication or administering vaccines to the public during a public health emergency. These locations have been pre-screened and have detailed written plans that explain how an EDS would operate. Local Boards of Health (LBOH) should be familiar with each chapter of the EDS Guidance as well as their local emergency plans to assure MCM can be properly dispensed.

Enroll To receive a certificate of completion. This requires registration to establish a learner profile and completion of pre- and post-tests
Course Table The Audit function is no longer available. However, all job aids are still available for viewing via the course table.

What you’ll learn

After completing this training, you will be able to:

  • Explain what an EDS is and its role during public health emergencies
  • Describe the purpose and scope of the EDS Guidance
  • Outline key information found in each chapter of the EDS Guidance
  • Update your current EDS plan to align with the EDS Guidance

Subject Matter Expert


  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)
    Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management

Disclaimer

This training was supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) with funds made available by the Cooperative Agreement Number TP921913, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP27877 “Regional Public Health Training Center Program.”This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.