Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 1, 2003 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~~ <br />SUBJECT: Building Capacity for Public Health Preparedness and Response in Orange <br />County Health Department <br />DEPARTMENT: Health PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1. OCEAN and Public Health Corps <br />Recruitment <br />2. NC DHHS Agreement Addenda <br />3. Medical Reserve Carps Grant <br />Narrative <br />4. Jab Duties <br />5. Diagram of Planning Relationships <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Rosemary Summers, ext 2411 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough <br />Chapel Hill <br />Durham <br />Mebane <br />732-8181 <br />968-4501 <br />688-7331 <br />336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To build the capacity of the Orange County Health Department to carryout its <br />responsibilities in public health preparedness and emergency response as part of the overall <br />Orange County emergency response through acceptance of funds available and establishing <br />two public health preparedness positions. <br />BACKGROUND: The Health Department has specified emergency response fimctions under <br />the broad umbrella of the Orange County Multihazard Plan. In addition, the department has <br />responsibilities for public health preparedness that do not rise to the level of an emergency <br />response as defined by the Multihazard Plan (limited waterborne, foodborne or other <br />communicable disease outbreaks as examples). The Health Department has been engaged in <br />developing plans to respond to public health emergencies for more than five years. Competing <br />work needs and a lack of funding to hire dedicated staff at the department have prevented a <br />focused approach to completing the required work. The need for well-developed response plan <br />has been reflected in a Board of Commissioners' goal that was first adopted in 1996. <br />Needs <br />To illustrate the ongoing need for response capability, it is important to consider that: <br />• In 1999, 1,324 community members received immune globulin as a result of a Hepatitis <br />A exposure in a local restaurant over athree-day holiday weekend. The Health <br />Department utilized twelve nurses from adjacent counties to supplement County staff. <br />• In 2000, there was a rubella outbreak (8 cases in Orange County) among the Hispanic <br />population. In the next three months, more than 1000 community members were <br />vaccinated against rubella to prevent the spread of the outbreak.. This effort required <br />intensive planning and coordination with community partners. <br />• In 2001, there was a Norwalk virus outbreak in an elementary school in Chapel Hill in <br />midmMay. Over 100 children were ill. The investigation included surveying parents, <br />