Health Department

Local Preparedness

Public Health Preparedness is accomplished at the Washington County Health Department through the Public Health Infrastructure Program funded by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to address bioterrorism, terrorism, unintentional, or naturally occurring events that result in public health threats or emergencies. The County Health Department is working to:

To develop and maintain public health emergency capacity.
To develop effective plans and resources during emergencies to protect the community.
To coordinate with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to develop a plan to provide mass prophylaxis and treatment to all people in the county.
To develop the capacity to rapidly identify diseases and initiate prevention and control activities.
To develop effective, secure communication infrastructure for rapid communication among public health and its partners.
To develop the capacity to effectively communicate health/risk information to the public and key partners.
To develop a public health workforce (including volunteers).
To better prepare the community for an emergency.

Planning

Washington County Health Department has an all-hazards emergency response plan focused on protecting public health in place.It includes such plans as Mass Vaccination (Disease Outbreak) , Public Education/Information, and Continuity of Operations (staying open during disasters) It is modeled after the National Response Plan authored by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Our All-Hazards Emergency Response plan uses the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a chain of command system, which provides a consistent framework for incident management at all jurisdictional levels, regardless of the cause, size, or complexity of the incident.

Guidance from CDC, the Ohio Department of Health, and Ohio EMA is used in preparing these plans.

Practicing

To assure readiness, the Health Department has engaged in a rigorous training plan. Once trained, staff and community volunteers are required to participate in drills and exercises. The Health Department participates with other county health departments, the Ohio Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies to test their systems during an event.

Training

Operations of the Health Department during an emergency will be different than normal. The exact changes depend upon the type of emergency. Specific training has been developed and utilized to teach people the new roles they may need to fulfill during emergencies. The Health Department is continually working to train staff, Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) volunteers in the most up to date information on how to respond during a emergency. ICS-300 and ICS-400 February & March 2008

Recruiting

In a large-scale emergency, volunteers may be needed to assist the Department in help keeping Washington County safe and healthy. The County Medical Reserve Corps is enrolling those willing to help. Medical and non-medical volunteers are needed.

Contact John Berentz if you are interested in the Medical Reserve Corps, CERT or volunteer training. 740-374-2782