Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)

Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) coordinates with county emergency management (EM) and other local and state partners to plan and prepare, respond, and recover from various emergencies. Emergency plans can include pandemic influenza, tornadoes, winter weather, biological agents, floods, and more.

How does the Local Health Department prepare for emergencies?


  1. Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
  2. Emergency Management (EM)
  3. National Preparedness

Create a flexible and adaptable health department capable of preparing for and responding to a variety of health and environmental hazards to protect the wellbeing of the whole community.

Capabilities

Community Preparedness Medical Material Management and Distribution
Community Recovery  Medical Surge
Emergency Operations Coordination Nonpharmaceutical Interventions
Emergency Public Information and Warning Public Health Laboratory Testing 
Fatality Management Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation
Information Sharing Responder Safety and Health 
Mass Care Volunteer Management
Medical Countermeasure Dispensing and Administration Other

Exercises

Exercises can help practice emergency plans and identify improvement areas. A post-exercise review or “hotwash” helps identify strengths and weaknesses to be reported in the After-Action Report- Improvement Plan (AAR-IP).

How does public health prepare for disease outbreaks?


  1. Preparedness Cycle
  2. Exercise Cycle

The continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response. 

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Exercise Types

Different exercises evaluate different capabilities. Often the exercises follow a timeline, typically over many years, starting with the least labor intensive (seminar) building up to the most labor intensive (full-scale).

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What is Public Health Emergency Preparedness?



MN Responds

Minnesota Responds is a partnership that integrates and engages local, regional, and statewide volunteer programs to strengthen public health and healthcare, reduce vulnerability, build resilience and improve preparedness, and response and recovery capabilities. 

For more information on Minnesota Responds click here or contact Public Health Emergency Preparedness Specialist, Sara Porter at (507) 560-0093 or email.