At the State House, signs of increased precautions against the H1N1 swine flu are everywhere – from new hand sanitizing stations set up in heavily trafficked public areas to posters instructing people to cover their coughs, and the almost daily e-mail updates I receive from the Maine Centers for Disease Control. However, when I started looking at all these precautions put together, along with what I’ve seen happening at the state level, I found my own commitment to public service renewed.

No matter what your opinion is on having big or small government is, I think we can all agree that smart government is best. Prior to coming to Augusta , I served on Windham’s volunteer emergency services committee, and on the State Emergency Response Commission. Emergency planning in a state like Maine is particularly challenging because of our rural geography, but state has a solid plan to keep Mainers safe.

In the case of the H1N1 swine flu virus, Maine is working efficiently to keep people from becoming infected, and getting the best treatment to those who’ve contracted it as quickly as possible. Most of the credit for Maine ‘s effective response so far needs to go to the leadership of Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine CDC.

In late April, before a case of the virus was even confirmed in Maine , Dr. Mills ordered a large shipment of antiviral medications, which arrived just as the first cases were reported in York County. This energized the work already being done by state officials. At least six state agencies, the Maine National Guard, and numerous non-profit public health organizations like the American Red Cross had been mobilized in accordance with the state’s Pandemic Flu plan, which was revised as recently as this summer, long before most of us had ever heard of the H1N1 swine flu.

You can view the plan on the Maine CDC Web site. It’s comprehensive operations model that looks at every facet of every day life, from the basics like what to do if there’s an infected student at a school to the establishment of seven regional locations to distribute medications if needed. There are clear and distinct definitions of what each person is responsible for implementing in all the agencies and organizations involved – just like planning for any other type of statewide emergency.

By now, you’ve probably heard that the symptoms of the H1N1 swine flu are similar to the regular flu, and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. If you’re looking for more information about the virus, though, the Maine CDC is sponsoring a toll-free hotline that you can reach at 1-888-257-0990 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and on the weekends from noon to 5 p.m. You can also find updates and resources at www.mainepublichealth.gov.

If you are interested in hearing more about state emergency management policies, or just want to share your thoughts on upcoming legislation or any state issue, feel free to call me at home at 892-6591 or e-mail me at RepMarkBryant@yahoo.com.