1. 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

2. Yellowstone County, Montana

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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

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