Public Health Preparedness
Public Health emergencies can arise anywhere.
The threat of infectious diseases, natural disasters, and terrorism
can happen anytime, and no community is exempt. In Montana, wild
land fires are a summertime hazard; natural disasters like drought,
flooding, earthquakes, tornados and avalanche are not unusual. Other
public health emergencies come with vector-borne disease, such as
West Nile Virus, food borne illness like E. Coli, and vaccine-resisent
illness such as Tuberculosis, or an extremely virulent flu strain.
There is added risk potential from terrorism, bioterrorism, and agro
terrorism. Such acts may seem unlikely in Montana, but what Public
Health does in preparation for terrorism also prepares the state to
meet any large-scale health threat. Public
Health has always been concerned with emergency planning, but it is
increasingly apparent that we must be prepared to respond quickly to
a variety of threats, on a potentially large scale, and in
partnership with other agencies. The DPHHS Office of Public Health
Emergency Preparedness and Training works to help local and tribal
health jurisdictions respond to health emergencies, coordinating a
surveillance and response system that is essential to the security
and wellbeing of the state and it's citizens. Federal grant funds
strengthen public health and hospital preparedness on a state,
regional, and local level throughout Montana, with the majority of
funds distributed to local partners.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) funds help in:
- Planning and Assessment
- Surveillance and Epidemiology
- Laboratory Capacity
- Health Alert network (HAN)
- Emergency Risk Communication
- Education and Training - Montana Public Health Training and
Communication Center (TCC)
