Grand County Public Health Earns Public Health Emergency Preparedness Recognition
Grand County Public Health is Honored as “Public Health Ready”

As local health departments nationwide strive to protect the public from new and infectious diseases, bioterrorism, natural disasters, and other public health threats, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has recognized Grand County Public Health for its ability to respond to public health emergencies.

Grand County Public Health met the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We are proud to have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of preparedness,” said Brene Belew-LaDue, RN, Director of Grand County Public Health. “I believe that this honor is exceedingly well-deserved because it reflects tremendous effort, dedication, creativity, and cooperation on the part of our public health team and our Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Abbie Cobb. We will continue to improve our ability to quickly and effectively respond to any public health crisis in Grand County.”

“NACCHO commends Grand County Public Health for being a model of public health emergency preparedness,” said Robert Pestronk, Executive Director of NACCHO. “The public health system is making great strides thanks to the good work of leaders in local public health preparedness such as Grand County Public Health.”

Local health departments recognized by PPHR undergo a thorough evaluation process by peer review. PPHR required Grand County Public Health to meet expectations in public health preparedness in three key areas: preparedness planning; workforce competency; and demonstration of all-hazards readiness through exercises or a response to a real event. The recognition confirms that Grand County Public Health has an emergency response plan in place, the plan is connected to other jurisdictional emergency response plans, agency staff members are trained, and the plan is exercised and used during public health emergencies.

The mission of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is to be a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice for local health departments in order to ensure the conditions that promote health and equity, combat disease, and improve the quality and length of all lives.
For more information see Grand County Public Health, 970-725-3288; http://co.grand.co.us/publichealth.html

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