LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – It was a big day for students in Longview as NET Health teamed up with the Gregg County Health Department for a Points of Dispensing (POD) exercise simulating an anthrax attack in East Texas.

The point of the drill is to keep health professionals in tip-top shape just in case of an emergency situation and evaluate the effectiveness of plans to dispense medication to large amounts of people throughout the county by injection or pill.

Longview High School students that participated wore red to act as individuals that are sick or were infected due to exposure to a disease.

  • Photo Courtesy of Longview ISD.
  • Photo Courtesy of Longview ISD.
  • Photo Courtesy of Longview ISD.
  • Photo Courtesy of Longview ISD.

“It’s very important to practice so that when we do have the real deal we can operate closer to perfection and treat as many people as is possible in that one blush.”

Anita Lowe // UT Tyler, clinical senior instructor

Lowe also said that exercises like this aren’t just for hypotheticals. These same skills are used across the country to distribute medicine and vaccines during the COVID outbreak.