The state Department of Health wrapped up the second phase of its public engagement program yesterday with a public meeting at Ward Warehouse seeking community input on how to allocate vaccines in the event of a flu pandemic.

In particular, health officials were hoping to identify specific priorities on who should receive potentially life-saving vaccines if only a limited supply is available.

The DOH earlier sponsored a public forum on TV, which elicited hundreds of e-mails and messages.

DOH information specialist Judy Kern said the department has been encouraged by the public's response to the initiative.

"It's a good indication that the public realizes that it has a voice and the people who came here today have come to share their ideas about which values should guide these decisions," Kern said.

The final phase of the three-part program is the rollout of the Coral Cross educational online game, which already has 800 registrations (roughly half from Hawai'i).

VACCINE PRIORITIES

While the project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was initiated before the recent H1N1 outbreak, many of the more than 30 people at the public meeting cited flu concerns as their main impetus for attending, Kern said.

A total of 82 cases of the illness also known as swine flu had been identified in Hawai'i as of Friday.

The H1N1 problem provided a reference point for DOH's overall effort to elicit ideas and concerns for policymakers to consider when prioritizing who would receive limited supplies of vaccines in a pandemic.

In the event of a real pandemic, federal guidelines would determine how the bulk of vaccine supplies are distributed. However, each state would also be allotted a limited supply to be distributed at its discretion.

At yesterday's meeting, participants broke up into groups and were presented with specific scenarios intended to provoke discussions of how to allocate a limited supply of vaccine.

WHO MATTERS MOST

In one scenario, participants were given brief profiles of 10 people and were asked to select just five for life-saving vaccination.

As they contemplated the scenarios, groups identified values such as maintaining food production and other essential functions, current and future productivity, survivability, vulnerability, containment and cultural preservation.

Kiyoko Nogawa, 38, who worked as a pharmacist in Japan and moved here nine months ago, said public safety and the overall health of the community were her highest values.

"We have to keep the lifelines," she said.

Mark Giblin, 66, of 'Ewa Beach had hoped the meeting would address just how pandemics are defined and who makes vaccine prioritization decisions. While he didn't receive the answers he sought, he said the meeting was worthwhile in raising important questions.

Like many others, Giblin didn't agree with some of the already-established national prioritization guidelines.

"According to (the guidelines ) ... all of us seniors over 65 would be thrown off into a ditch to die because we're not a priority," he said.

Joyce Paea, 69, of Liliha, said she likely wouldn't request a vaccination even if she were given high priority. For her, the meeting was a chance to participate in an important decision-making process.

"Everybody has their own issues and concerns," she said. "It was good to be able to make them known."