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For more information on Bio-Emergency Preparedness, please contact:
Christy Potts
Public Health Emergency Planning Specialist
(309) 344-3314 x 236
cpotts@knoxcountyhealth.org
In an emergency remember to stay calm. The Knox County Health Department is working closely with medical and emergency personnel across the state and nationwide to address the current public health emergency. The Knox County Health Department has partnered with the CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) – a reserve supply of life-saving medicines and supplies – to ensure treatment is available for everyone who needs it. SNS assets are kept ready to use at a moments notice, and will be delivered to Knox County to treat the sick in the event of an incident.
The purpose of the Knox County Bio-Emergency Preparation is to improve public health preparedness capacity before, during, and after a disaster by ensuring coordination among public health leaders, fire departments, hospitals, health care workers, churches, and businesses in the community and across the country. The Knox County Health Department is continually working to establish processes for direction, coordination, and assessment of activities to ensure local readiness, interagency collaboration, and preparedness for any public health emergency.
- The Illinois Department of Public Health, working closely with the Knox County Health Department, and other local health departments, hospitals, laboratories, law enforcement, fire departments, the medical community, federal and state agencies, and other organizations to implement an enhanced surveillance program that is constantly on guard for any clusters of disease or illness outbreaks. If detected, a cluster of outbreaks will be acted on quickly to detect the, type of disease or illness, and the source of the disease or illness and then present to the media the proper actions the community should take to either limit the spread or lessen the effects of the outbreak.
The Knox County Health Department provides the community with preparedness and coordination to strengthen the ability of the Health Department and their partners to monitor and respond to public health events by:
- Centralizing information
- Assessing emerging threats
- Initiating and managing a coordinated response to threats
- Goal 1: Provide Strategic Direction, Assessment, Coordination, and Collaboration
- Establish and develop public health leadership roles, assess it’s response system and the needs of the community
- Develop priorities and action plans to address limitations and enhanse agency and community readiness
- Goal 2: Enhance Community and Policy Development
- Raise awareness about community preparedness needs, priorities, and plans
- Develop preparedness protocols and plans to detect and develop a planned response system to public health threats and emergencies
- Goal 3: Provide Education, Training, and Evaluation
- Promote community access to health information and services and to enhanse relationships with individuals, groups, and communities
- Provide training about public health issues, plans, and protocols
- Organize and participate in exercises and evaluation efforts
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