Rather than sending health care workers to Fort Noble, Ala., for flu pandemic training, trainers with the federal government came to Lebanon last week to teach a three-day course.

By having the course in Lebanon rather than Alabama, 40 healthcare workers from across Oregon were able to attend. Typically only a handful of Oregonians attend the flu pandemic training sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Officials with Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties participated.

“We also had hospital representatives from the Portland-Metro area,” said Ann Steeves, regional coordinator for health care emergency preparedness at Samaritan Health Services

The three-day course began Nov. 17. On the last day, a simulated worst-case pandemic scenario gave workers a chance to see how the state, county and cities would interact if a pandemic reached epic levels.

The focus of the training was on dealing with the current H1N1 influenza pandemic, but the scenario portrayed a hypothetical  worst-case, role-playing exercise involving the state, county and cities. The scope of the exercise was beyond the H1N1 virus.

“In this case they are working on a scenario that is much more severe than H1N1, so it’s the actions that the state, county or city would take,” Steeves explained.

Healthcare workers were initially separated into four different rooms that signified the state, Woodland County, Noble City and Capital City. During the exercise, organizers sent messages to each group, with important scraps of information — from how many ambulances were on-hand to fictional mortality numbers.

“This was essential for me,” said Frank Moore, director of Linn County Health Department. “While I’ve been studying this stuff for three to four years, my knowledge base in respect to my role and also my role in a disaster scenario probably tripled.”

Steeves credited Dr. Larry Mullins, president and CEO of Samaritan Health Services, for bringing the training to Lebanon. Mullins  is a member of Governor Kulongoski’s Homeland Security Council.