Emergency Response Program

Mission Statement:

The Highland County Health Department Emergency Response Program is committed to coordinating and preparing Highland County’s response to public health emergencies of any type. The protection of public health is paramount in the health department’s response to any emergency, and every attempt will be made to plan, respond, recover, and provide mitigation for any emergency involving the health and safety of the public.

Current Program Activities

The Highland County Health Department Emergency Response Program has been implemented to prepare the county to respond more effectively to public health concerns during a disaster or emergency. This response will occur in any situation in which the health of the public is at risk. Current efforts have focused primarily on biological emergencies resulting from biological terrorism or natural disease outbreaks.

The health department monitors epidemiological trends through the nursing department. Symptom trends and disease occurrences are analyzed and monitored in order to identify a disease outbreak early. Nurses perform case follow-up and investigations, in order to understand the extend of the outbreak, and to help control further spread.

The health department also provides support members for a regional environmental response team, called ENSURE, which works in conjunction with fire departments and hazardous materials teams to monitor air, water, soil, and other mediums, during chemical releases, large fires, or other potential environmental disasters.

A public information regional group works to provides guidance for crisis communication during emergencies. This group is developing protocols, plans, and methods for dealing with the media and public during an emergency, identifying special needs groups and methods for communicating with them, and studying other crisis communication areas for disaster response.

The Emergency Response Coordinator is the past chairman and active participant in a regional emergency response coordinator work group, a collection of representatives from jurisdictions throughout the SW Ohio Region. This group is responsible for developing policy and protocols for the region to use in developing local plans and response procedures.

The Emergency Response Program continues to work towards developing an organized and prepared response to emergencies in Highland County. If there are questions concerning the activities of this program, please contact the Highland County Health Department.