Public Health Preparedness: Denton County Health Departments Approach

1
Public Health Preparedness Denton County Health
Departments Approach

• Health Emergency Alert Response Team
• Matt Richardson, MPH

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Health Emergency Alert Response Team

• Who are we?
• Jessica Gullion, PhD Epidemiologist
• Matt Richardson, MPH Coordinator
• Jay Thatcher, BA Assistant
  Coordinator
• Cubby Gardner, RN Outbreak
  Manager
• Melicia Brown, MPH Health
  Educator
• Sandra McKinney Administrative Manager
• Randy Kesseler, DO Physician

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HEART What do we do?

• Planning and Preparedness
• Current projects include
• Smallpox Vaccination Program (Pre and Post-event)
• Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) coordination
  and planning
• Epidemiology/Investigation of Communicable/Infecti
  ous disease
• Bioweapon-release Response Planning
• Countywide WMD exercise planning

4
CDRT

• Communicable Disease Response Team
• School nurses
• Hospital Infection Control
• Local Physicians
• Fire
• Police
• EMS
• Emergency Management
• University Health Centers

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Epidemiology and Surveillance

• Epidemiologist
• Improved Disease Reporting and Follow-up
• Expanded Surveillance
• RedBat Surveillance softwarewill be countywide
  in 2-3 months
• HEART serves as epidemiological investigation
  team

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Example Monkeypox

• Animals shipped to Denton County from infected
  supply (Phils Pocket Pets, Chicago)
• HEART investigated contacts in collaboration with
  municipal animal control and police departments
• Testing performed on raccoon for Monkeypoxno
  confirmed cases in humans or pets in Denton
  County

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Example SARS

• Possible SARS contact exposure to resident
• Utilized Mobile Clinic for investigation of
  exposures and sample collection
• Continuous on-site monitoring by clinical staff
• Collaboration with CDC/Texas Department of
  Health/Dallas County Health and Human Services

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Emergency Communication Network

• Interoperability with Countywide communication
  (800 MHz encrypted radio system)
• Pager/Mobile communication for HEART
• 24/7 HOTLINE for emergency programming
• Call Center planning with Denton County IT
• Broadcast Fax to Physicians/Veterinarians

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GIS and Health Informatics

• Partner with Denton County GIS to create unique
  graphical tools
• Epidemiological overlays
• Population-based Clinic/Dispensing site locations
• WNV and Rabies Mapping

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How to contact us

• Matt Richardson, MPH
• Matt.richardson_at_dentoncounty.com
• [phone]
• www.dentoncounty.com/HEART