Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) at the Morgan County Health Department collaborates with community, regional and state partners to prepare for and respond to adverse events that impact the health of our community.

Nationwide, the PHEP Program focuses on the developments of six areas of preparedness to better prepare state and local public health systems for emergencies that impact the public’s health.

Six Domains of Preparedness:

• Community Resilience: Preparing for and recovering from emergencies

• Incident management: Coordinating an effective response

• Information Management: Making sure people have information to take action

• Countermeasures and Mitigation: Getting medicines/supplies where they are needed

• Surge Management: Expanding medical services to handle large events

• Biosurveillance: Investigating and identifying health threats

Communities must be ready in the event of a public health emergency – both those they expect and those that come without warning.

At the Morgan County Health Department, our Emergency Preparedness Coordinator develops and updates emergency response plans, maintains supplies and equipment used during responses, and coordinates preparedness training for both staff and our community. Collaboration with local and state agencies to plan for and response to emergencies is a key component of our program. This includes participation in healthcare coalitions, planning committees, preparedness training, simulated exercises and drills. These preparations and plans help protect our community in the event of an adverse event.