Staff

Crystal Earley 740-374-2782 ext. 3312. Our staff regularly provides information and training related Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

What is Disaster Preparedness?

The Washington County Health Department maintains readiness through the development and maintenance of response plans, training personnel according to established policies and procedures, (employees, local first responders, and volunteers), and securing agreements with local entities for assistance with distribution of SNS assets.

With the many threats to public health being recognized, the All-Hazards approach is more critical than ever. We plan for a basic response to all disasters, and create additional threat specific guides for the multiple threats. Plans are written on two levels at the health department, the local level, by providing planning, training, coordination, and public education.We also maintain a SE Ohio Regional All Hazards Emergency Response Plan in which health departments, hospitals, local governments, non-governmental organizations and emergency management agencies from 11 counties across Southeast Ohio plan, train and exercise together.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 tasked the Department of Homeland Security with defining the goals and performance requirements of the Strategic National Stockpile Program, as well as managing the actual deployment of assets. With the signing of the Bio-Shield legislation, the SNS Program was returned to HHS for oversight and guidance. The SNS Program works with governmental and non-governmental partners to upgrade the nation's public health capacity to respond to a national emergency. Critical to the success of this initiative is ensuring capacity is developed at federal, state, and local levels to receive, stage, and dispense SNS assets.

The Disaster Preparedness Section of the Washington County Health Department is funded by the Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention through the Ohio Department of Health.