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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, April 1, 2004
Contact:
Sherri McDonald, Public Health and Social Services Director,
360-786-5581
Thurston
County Recognized for Preparedness Efforts
OLYMPIA
-- As concerns over bioterrorism and other public health crises continue to
plague U.S. communities, the National Association of County and City Health
Officials (NACCHO) has recognized Thurston
County for significant improvements in its ability to respond to public
health emergencies. Thurston County was
one of 11 local public health agencies recognized nationwide as completing the
requirements of Project Public Health Ready.
Thurston
County underwent reviews conducted by Project Public Health Ready, a
first-of-its-kind partnership program developed by NACCHO with support from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Columbia
University Center for Public Health. Project Public Health Ready was
established to help define local public health preparedness and develop a
standard set of goals by which preparedness could be measured.
Thurston
County Commission chairman Diane Oberquell says, “We are proud to
have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of
preparedness. We will continue to improve our ability to quickly and
effectively respond to any public health crisis in this area including the
5-county homeland security region 3. This effort on the health preparedness
side fits in very well with our overall goal to be ready for all of the kinds
of disasters and emergencies that can happen here.”
To
gain recognition, Project Public Health Ready required Thurston County to achieve goals in three key areas: preparedness
planning; individual worker competence; and demonstration of readiness through
drills and exercises. The recognition confirms that Thurston
County has an emergency response plan in place, the plan is appropriately
connected to other emergency response plans, agency staff members are trained,
and the plan is exercised and used during public health and other community
emergencies. Thurston County
Public Health and Social Services Director Sherri McDonald says the plan
allowed a swifter and more coordinated reaction in a recent situation.
“In fact, the department recently used the plan to investigate a
dangerous communicable disease situation.
Using the public health response plan allowed us to clearly define
roles and responsibilities within the Department and quickly mount an
appropriate response.”
Other
agencies recognized are:
Allentown
City Health Bureau - Allentown, PA
Berkeley
City Public Health Department - Berkeley, CA
Cerro
Gordo County Public Health Department - Mason City, IA
Kansas
City Health Department - Kansas City, MO
Montgomery
County Department of Health and Human Services - Rockville, MD
Seminole
County Health Department - Sanford, FL
Tarrant
County Public Health Department - Fort Worth, TX
Tulsa
City-County Health Department - Tulsa, OK
Needham
Health Department - Needham, MA
Winnebago
County Health Department - Rockford, IL
“NACCHO
commends Thurston County
on its preparedness for a public health emergency,” said Patrick Libbey,
executive director of NACCHO. “Thurston
County has helped to establish a model for ensuring complete public
health emergency preparedness for the citizens of our country.”
Local
public health agencies that sought recognition underwent an evaluation process that included reviews by peer agencies and
by three members of the Project Public Health Ready Oversight Council. The
Council consists of eight local health officials and organizational liaisons
from the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials, the National Association for Local Boards of
Health, the National Environmental Health Association, and the Public Health
Foundation. NACCHO, CDC, and Columbia University Center for Public Health
staff assist the Oversight Council.
For
more information on the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services
Department, go to- http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/welcome.html
For more information on Project Public Health Ready, go to www.naccho.org/project83.cfm.
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