Yellowstone City-County Health Department The Unified Health Command: Strengthening Public Health Interventions in Yellowstone County Doug Moore, MD, MPH Yellowstone City-County Health Department October 18, 2005

Yellowstone County, Montana

Objectives Identify key components of a successful health-based preparedness committee Describe how a local service based health department transitioned into a public health focused organization

YCCHD Timeline Up to 1999 9/00 02 9/02 11/02 3/03 6/03 7/03 03 & 04 Health officer, medical director, communicable disease PHN, and environmental health PHPS assignee – chronic care BT grant PHPS assignee – BT preparedness/CHAP Public health and safety mill levy BT focused PHS staff, PHN Risk communications manager Received mill levy PHS staffing

Timeline 2002 2003 2004 2005 September 11th Anthrax attacks Small pox Flu/vaccine shortage NPS audit West Nile Virus E. coli O157 and Campylobacter Cyclospora Flu vaccine Pertussis

Mission To unify the health professions community in Yellowstone County for the purpose of preventing disease, preparing for events that may affect the health of our community, and responding to such events as an organized body.

Objectives Prepare our community for all events that may have a health impact Write, review, and update disaster preparedness plans Respond to outbreaks as a coordinated response team Develop singular messages for conveying health-related information to the community Coordinate mass treatment or mass prophylaxis clinics during emergencies Develop coordinated prevention campaigns Lead health related recovery efforts after an emergency

Unified Health Command Unified response to communicable disease outbreaks and public health issues Disaster medical health plan Mass immunization plan Training, tabletop, and live exercises Cover Your Cough campaign Respiratory illness plan 4 D’s campaign

Question Currently my community has an identified public health/ medical infrastructure for addressing disasters. True or False? A. True B. False

Positive Impacts Response Planning Communication Internal External – healthcare community and the community at large National Public Health Performance Standards Assessment

Impact of the Assessment Health department strategic plan based on the 10 essential services Future plans Community assessment Community health plan Community health profile Another community assessment

Question In my community which one of the following has been the biggest challenge in using preparedness resources? Long-term viability Mismatch of priorities BT v. full use focus Other

Challenges Long-term viability Mismatch of priorities – federal, state, and local BT v. full use focus