Why am I writing about pharmacy and the “zombie apocalypse”? Have I lost my mind? No, not yet! But it apparently got your attention. A few years ago, a couple of individuals at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were thinking outside the box and tried something similar. After years of trying to get the public to think about emergency preparedness and to act prior to a catastrophic event (eg, hurricane, wildfire, tornado, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, and terrorist attack), they were convinced that the public wasn’t really listening or acting until it was too late. From personal experience with the wildfires in the Pacific Northwest this past summer, I found that many people did not listen until the fires were in their own backyard. Some people started to prepare months in advance; they made firewise adjustments to their property and as the risk of an evacuation increased they started to move valuables to a different location or put them in a location that would make their removal from the property easier and quicker. I am sure you know people who have made similar preparations for natural events, but how many of you have actually prepared for these events at home or work? 

So what did the CDC do? They launched a campaign that focused on preparing for the zombie apocalypse. The CDC posted a warning that a zombie apocalypse was coming. Within in a few hours, the posting started to go viral; within 2 days, there were 30,000 views and the server crashed from the surge in Web site traffic. This number of views was 3 times higher than their normal traffic. The news media also took notice and ran stories about the CDC’s announcement.^1-3 Since then, the CDC has continued to update their Web site and has also produced a graphic novella.^2-7 

The graphic novella is quick and interesting to read. The CDC used a zombie attack to illustrate why you should have an emergency kit at home, car, and office and what you should do if an emergency event should occur. At the end of the novella, there is a checklist for putting together the appropriate materials. This concept has worked so well that several other federal agencies (eg, The Pentagon, Homeland Security) have used zombies as part of their campaigns to increase public awareness of various issues.^8,9 Why not use this concept at your pharmacy or hospital?

How many of you or the members of your pharmacy team have read the article on emergency -preparedness written by Drs. Bell and Daniel that was published in Hospital Pharmacy in 2014 titled “Pharmacy Leader’s Role in Hospital Emergency -Preparedness Planning”?¹⁰ Would that answer have been different if the title was “Pharmacy Leader’s Role in Zombie Apocalypse Preparedness Planning” and the first page of the article had a graphic of a zombie on it?

Pharmacy involvement in emergency preparedness cannot be overlooked. There are several papers, position papers, and guidances that list pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as important members of the emergency response team.^11-13 So anything we can do to strengthen that position and help with the promotion of emergency preparedness is important in the profession’s continued growth. 

Whether or not you choose to use the theme of zombies to prompt emergency preparedness, the CDC Web site can be a resource for you as an individual. It has useful information including communications, how to staying informed, gathering supplies, how to make a plan, and a checklist to help you prepare for most emergencies.^4-7,14 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a mobile app that is available for Apple, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices.¹⁵ This app allows the user to gain access to tips on how to survive natural disasters, customize an emergency checklist, save meeting locations for family and friends, receive alerts from the National Weather Service, and locate open shelters and Disaster Recovery Centers and provides a disaster reporter option. This is a great tool for your personal smartphone.

If you are truly preparing a kit for the zombie apocalypse, there are a few things that are missing from the lists created by the CDC, Homeland -Security, and FEMA because they are supposed to promote public health and not actions that would fall under the guidance and control of local law enforcement, military, or other federal agencies. This is something you should consider when addings items to your own emergency preparedness kit.

The zombie apocalypse scenario could also be used to increase public awareness about having a first aid kit in their cars, office, and home. How about changing the labels for the small first aid kits that you might be using as a promotional item at employee or public information events? Just image how many more might be picked up if they were labeled as a first aid kit for zombie attacks? Or maybe you could create a bigger first aid kit labeled “For Use During the Zombie Apocalypse” that could be sold to staff or in the gift shop as a fundraiser for your emergency preparedness awareness programs? REI produced an infographic entitled “The 13 Essentials: Zombie Survival Gear.”^2,16 If television and Hollywood can make money off of this concept, why can’t health care have a little fun?

I hope using the theme of the zombie apocalypse has made you think, and ask, do I have a plan and have I put together the essential items in case there is an emergency? If not, what are you waiting for?

REFERENCES

1. Good C. Why did the CDC develop a plan for a Zombie Apocalypse? The Atlantic. May 20, 2011. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/why-did-the-cdc-develop-a-plan-for-a-zombie-apocalypse/239246/. Accessed October 22, 2011.
2. Drezner DW. The lessons of zombie-mania. The Wall Street Journal. April 5, 2013. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323611604578398952000653448. Accessed October 22, 2015.
3. CDC warns public to prepare for “Zombie Apocalypse.” Fox News. May 18, 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/18/cdc-warns-public-prepare-zombie-apocalypse/. Accessed: October 22, 2015.
4. Preparedness 101: Zombie pandemic. US Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies_novella.htm. Accessed October 22, 2015.
5. Zombie preparedness. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 27/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People. http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm. Accessed
   October 5, 2015.
6. Gather emergency supplies. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 27/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People. http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/. Accessed October 22, 2015.
7. Make a plan. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 27/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People. 2015. http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/plan/. Accessed October 22, 2015
8. Crawford J. Pentagon document lays out battle plan against zombies. CNN.com. May 16, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/16/politics/pentagon-zombie-apocalypse/. Accessed October 22, 2015.
9. Murray R. ZOMBIE ALERT issued by Homeland -Security. DailyNews.com. September 7, 2012. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/zombie-alert-issued-homeland-security-article-1.1154245. Accessed October 22, 2015. 
10. Bell C, Daniel S. Pharmacy leader’s role in hospital -emergency preparedness planning. Hosp Pharm. 2014; 49(4):-398- 404.
11. Terriff CM, Newton S. Pharmacist role in emergency -preparedness. JAPhA. 2008;48(6):702,707,708.
12. ASHP Statement on the role of health-system pharmacists in emergency preparedness. Medication Therapy and Patient Care: Specific Practice Areas–Statements. American Society of Health-System Pharmacist. 2008:321-322. http://www.ashp.org/doclibrary/bestpractices/specificstemergprep.aspx.
13. Joyce MC. Emergency preparedness: Are you ready if disaster strikes? American Pharmacists Association. February 1, 2015. https://www.pharmacist.com/emergency-preparedness-are-you-ready-if-disaster-strikes. Accessed October 22, 2015.
14. Be informed. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 27/7: Saving Lives, Protecting People. 2015. http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/informed/. Accessed October 22, 2015
15. FEMA mobile app. Federal Emergency Management Agency. 2015. www.fema.gov/mobile-app. Accessed July 9, 2015.
16. The 13 essentials: Zombie survival gear. REI. 2015. http://blog.rei.com/social/infographic-13-essential-tools-for-surviving-a-zombie-outbreak/. Accessed October 22, 2015.