Webinar Examines Swine Flu Impacts on Biz Travel 

AUG. 20, 2009                                                                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ROSWELL, Ga. – “Business as usual’’ won’t be this flu season, with the effects of the H1N1 pandemic expected to include quarantines, travel restrictions and school and office closings. Businesses that rely on travel need to make preparations now to mitigate the impact.

Firestorm Solutions LLC and Passport Health USA are conducting a free, hour-long webinar August 25 at 2 p.m. EDT to help businesses plan for the swine flu. Registration for “Healthcare Strategies for Today’s Mobile Society: Update on Antivirals and Vaccines’’ is available at www.predictplanperform.com.

James W. Satterfield, president and COO of Firestorm, a national leader in business continuity, communicable illness/pandemic planning, vulnerability analysis and crisis management, will moderate. Experts include Donald A. Donahue, the Executive Director of the National Security Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C., who has more than 30 years experience as a healthcare administrator in the military, government and private sectors, and Fran Lessans, CEO and founder of Passport Health, the largest provider of travel medical/immunization services in the United States.

“While there are many uncertainties with H1N1, including its eventual severity and efficacy of the vaccination program, we do know that it will disrupt normal business operations,’’ said Donahue, who also directs Firestorm’s Healthcare Response Team. “Combined with regular seasonal flu, H1N1 is likely to cause high absenteeism and travel restrictions that will be major hindrances for organizations that are not properly prepared.’’

Passport Health (www.passporthealthusa.com) has provided anthrax and smallpox vaccination training and has worked with the U.S. military, federal postal facilities, and federal employees and currently operates a 24/7 immunization call center for the Department of Defense.

Firestorm (www.firestorm.com) employs a unique Predict. Plan. Perform. methodology and provided the on-site crisis management support at Virginia Tech after the tragic shootings in 2007. Its Expert Council includes Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honorè (U.S. Army, ret.) and former U.S. Surgeons General Dr. C. Everett Koop and Dr. David Satcher. Firestorm recently began awarding franchises to better address the distinct local vulnerabilities and preparedness gaps that exist nationwide.

Satterfield can be reached at (800) 321-2219 ext. 211 or jsatterfield@firestorm.com. For more information on franchises, contact Executive Vice President Hutch Hodgson at (770) 643-1114 or hhodgson@firestorm.com. Media inquiries should be directed to Mike Pennetti at mpennetti@firestorm.com or (678) 557-9243.