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The Public Health Preparedness program at South Central Public Health District was established in 2002 to expand the district’s capabilities to plan for – and respond to – public health emergencies in Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. Learn more about how our health district is preparing our community for public health emergencies by clicking below. |
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Education and Training
Education and training are key components to South Central Public Health District’s preparedness efforts. The Public Health Preparedness Program coordinates preparedness education and training opportunities for District staff and community partners to help adequately prepare them to respond to a public health emergency in order to minimize death and disease.
Education and training examples include Incident Command System (ICS) and National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) awareness level courses. Training is provided by a variety of agencies, including Public Health staff, community partners, Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security, and Idaho State University-Institute of Emergency Management staff. Satellite downlinks from state and national links, such as the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency among others are also utilized.
All SCPHD exercises are tied to the mission of the District, and are planned, executed, and evaluated using the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program methods.
Public Health Preparedness and Response Plans
South Central Public Health District Public Health Preparedness plans are the framework to guide our efforts to prepare for and respond to a public health emergency. The plans outline the procedures and processes required to respond to a communicable disease outbreak, terrorist event, or other public health emergency. The plans are intended to direct SCPHD’s response to any hazard that threatens the publics’ health. Our preparedness and response capabilities are designed to work in tandem with first response agencies and other partner organizations in south central Idaho. Significant efforts go into the Strategic National Stockpile.
Strategic National Stockpile – This plan outlines the procedures and processes required for the receipt, staging, distribution and management of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention oversees a cache of life-saving medicines and medical supplies that can be delivered in the event of a major public health emergency. The stockpile is available to help supplement local resources when they become exhausted. At a minimum, supplies could be delivered to a designated area within 12 hours of the federal decision to deploy these assets. During the 2009 H1N1 response, SCPHD received medical supplies and medications to be used if the current supply within the community had been depleted. To learn more click here. Should we need to request and receive the SNS, SCPHD will distribute the medications to local populations at Points of Dispensing (PODS) sites. To learn more, click here.
Regional Health Care System Preparedness Program
The purpose of the Regional Health Care System Program at South Central Public Health District is to upgrade the preparedness and the capabilities of health care entities in south central Idaho to respond to bioterrorism, outbreaks of infectious diseases, other public health threats and emergencies, and to improve overall regional preparedness and response. Joint efforts include developing and maintaining a regional surge capacity plan, participating in regional exercises, establishing partnerships through memorandums of agreement/ understanding, and sharing of best practices.
Participating regional health care entities include:
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Hospitals
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Emergency Medical Service providers
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Community health centers
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Outpatient facilities
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County Emergency Management Coordinators
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County Coroners
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Law enforcement officials
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Mental Health Care providers
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Faith Based organizations
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Civic, volunteer, and service organizations
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Public Health
As the coordinating and fiscal agency, South Central Public Health District allocates allotment funds to participating entities to enhance their preparedness efforts. Recent upgrades include increased mass fatality response and equipment, to support alternative care sites.
South Central Healthcare Preparedness Coalition
Medical Reserve Corps / "Volunteer Idaho!"
The South Central Idaho Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was established in June 2009 and is the newest Medical Reserve Unit in Idaho. We are seeking volunteers from throughout the eight county area of south central Idaho.
For more information click here.
Mobile Applications
The FEMA App
Find on iTunes and Google Play
The FEMA App contains preparedness information for different types of disasters, an interactive checklist for emergency kits, a section to plan emergency meeting locations, information on how to stay safe and recover after a disaster, a map with FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations (one-stop centers where disaster survivors can access
Links
National
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
www.bt.cdc.gov
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
www.fbi.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
www.fema.gov
www.ready.gov
State
Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security
www.bhs.idaho.gov
Idaho TRAIN
http://id.train.org
Ready Idaho
www.readyidaho.org
Local
Blaine County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
www.blaineemergency.org