Prevent & Prepare
Prevent
Many of the things we do everyday help to prevent public health crises. Without restaurant inspections, immunizations or sewage and plumbing rules, many nearly “extinct” diseases would be much more prevalent in our community.
Other public health strategies such as good hygiene, eating well and exercising help protect the overall health of our community and may serve as essential tools in battling large scale disease outbreaks such as pandemic influenza.
However, we live in an unpredictable world, and as we learned from the terrorist attacks in 2001 and the hurricanes in 2005, public health emergencies can arise at any time. When they do, Hamilton County Public Health is ready to respond.
Learn more about what public health does everyday to protect Hamilton County’s health, safety and environment...
Prepare
Preparing for public health emergencies involves planning, training and exercising. Hamilton County Public Health has developed response plans for a variety of situations and functions, including distributing medications, pandemic influenza and crisis communication. Staff have undergone training related to managing emergency response activities. Lastly, preparing involves exercising – or practicing – our response plans to identifying where additional planning and training is need.
Hamilton County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Activities
Pandemic Flu School Closure Tabletop Exercise – On May 22, 2007 public health and school officials participated in a Pandemic Influenza School Closure Tabletop Exercise. The purpose of this tabletop exercise was to provide an opportunity for schools, school-related organizations, and public health to discuss plans for school closure as a means to minimize the spread of an influenza pandemic. Discussion focused on coordinating plans, identifying gaps, ensuring consistent communication, and exploring decision making authority and policy issues.
Alternative Care Center (ACC) Drill – On September 30, 2006 Hamilton County Public Health conducted a full-scale exercise of the Alternative Care Center. The purpose of the exercise was to identify issues of set-up and tear down of the ACC facility including the inventory of existing equipment, the number of people required to set-up/tear-down, and the time required doing so. Nearly 80 volunteers participated in this exercise. (WE CAN INCLUDE PICTURES) Learn more about the Alternative Care Center (link to fact sheet).
Hamilton County Pandemic Influenza Advisory Committees help public health officials develop pandemic response plans that meet the unique needs of different sectors in our community – businesses, faith groups, schools, etc. In October 2007, the health departments in Hamilton County formed advisory committees for businesses, schools, faith based organizations and college/universities. The committess have been working with public health officials to establish communication channels, conduct education and outreach strategies, and assist with planning efforts. For more information, call (513) 946-7812.
Be Prepared Ohio Event
Be Prepared Ohio Event
During Hurricane Katrina, we watched as some of our country’s most vulnerable citizens – older adults and people with disabilities – struggled to get help or find care in the midst of chaos and confusion. Caregivers threw their hands in the air in desperation and exhaustion when medicine, supplies and transportation were nowhere to be found. These images are still fresh in our minds.
On Sept. 22, Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio and the Emergency Preparedness Collaborative will present Be Prepared Ohio, an event that will focus on one of the toughest lessons learned during that difficult time in 2005: people with functional needs (older adults, people with disabilities, etc.) require more help than that which is provided through traditional emergency response systems. We know now that this vulnerable group needs help with advance planning – making an emergency plan, gathering supplies – and they will require special assistance during an emergency. Register or find more information