HOCKING COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Since the events of September 11, 2001 and the Anthrax scares of October 2001, there has been a great deal of attention on public health’s role in emergency response, particularly in relation to Weapons of Mass Destruction, or WMD. WMD include biological, chemical, or nuclear threats. Preparedness activities for WMD threats differ from natural events such as hurricanes, flooding, etc. People affected by a biological agent my take days to develop symptoms and seek medical care; a large geographic area may be affected, or persons may travel long distances and unwittingly infect others. Developing appropriate public health response has been on the agenda at the national, state, and local levels.

The terrorist attacks of 2001 raised our awareness of the need to be prepared for any event that could threaten the health and well-being of the citizens of Hocking County. As our concern for your safety increases, so does our preparedness. Linked with county, regional, state, and national resources, the Hocking County Public Health Department receives up-to-date information on any biological or communicable disease occurrence that could affect your health. When the need arises for critical health information, you can depend on the Hocking County Health Department to be prepared to respond.