Morgan County Health Department Mission for Preparedness

The mission of the Morgan County Health Department is to provide for the health and well-being of the citizens of Morgan County.  In an age of novel threats, such as bio-terrorism and emerging infectious diseases, along with long-standing hazards, such as food-borne illness outbreaks and pandemic influenza, the challenge to protect the public health is greater than ever before.       

One method to battle widespread disease is the provision of mass prophylaxis to the exposed or at-risk population.  This document serves as a guide to assist in the process of evaluating a public health emergency and operating a mass prophylaxis dispensary.

 It must also be acknowledged that the role of public health in response to all types of disasters has not changed.  Instead, during a public health disaster the scale of the response and size of the population served is much larger. The principles detailed in this plan can be utilized to respond to a variety of health threats, not just disease.  These principles can be used to respond to all types of hazards or disasters in order to distribute any type of drug, vaccine, or resource on a large scale.

 The common goals of preparedness are to:

· Minimize morbidity and mortality through “proper preventive, curative, and supportive care.”

· Address the vulnerability of special needs populations.

· “Defend civil liberties using the least restrictive interventions to contain an infectious agent that causes communicable disease.”

· Ensure the economic stability of the community and limit the negative financial impact.

· Increase the ability of the community to recover from the public health emergency.