Download Health Emergency Alert Response Team

Public Health Preparedness:
Denton County Health
Department’s Approach
Health Emergency Alert Response
Team
Matt Richardson, MPH
Health Emergency Alert
Response Team
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Who are we?
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Jessica Gullion, PhD
Matt Richardson, MPH
Jay Thatcher, BA
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Cubby Gardner, RN
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Melicia Brown, MPH
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Sandra McKinney
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Randy Kesseler, DO
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Epidemiologist
Coordinator
Assistant
Coordinator
Outbreak
Manager
Health
Educator
Administrative
Manager
Physician
HEART: What do we do?
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Planning and Preparedness
Current projects include:
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Smallpox Vaccination
Program (Pre and Post-event)
Strategic National Stockpile
(SNS) coordination and
planning
Epidemiology/Investigation of
Communicable/Infectious
disease
Bioweapon-release Response
Planning
Countywide WMD exercise
planning
CDRT
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Communicable Disease
Response Team
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School nurses
Hospital Infection Control
Local Physicians
Fire
Police
EMS
Emergency Management
University Health Centers
Epidemiology and Surveillance
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Epidemiologist
Improved Disease Reporting
and Follow-up
Expanded Surveillance
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RedBat Surveillance software—will
be countywide in 2-3 months
HEART serves as
epidemiological investigation
team
Example: Monkeypox
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Animals shipped to
Denton County from
infected supply (Phil’s
Pocket Pets, Chicago)
HEART investigated
contacts in collaboration
with municipal animal
control and police
departments
Testing performed on
raccoon for Monkeypox—
no confirmed cases in
humans or pets in Denton
County
Example: SARS
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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
Emergency Communication
Network
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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
GIS and Health Informatics
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Partner with Denton
County GIS to create
unique graphical tools
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Epidemiological
overlays
Population-based
Clinic/Dispensing site
locations
WNV and Rabies
Mapping
How to contact us:
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Matt Richardson, MPH
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[email protected]
(940) 349-2914
www.dentoncounty.com/HEART