Emergency Preparedness

The Foothills Health District prepares for public health emergencies that may affect our community. Public Health Preparedness uses an all-hazards approach for emergency planning, focusing on situations that specifically affect the health of the public including pandemic flu, mosquito-borne diseases, bioterrorism events, and other disease outbreaks. This includes sharing information on ways residents can protect themselves and a plan to set up medication clinics, as necessary. We also participate with the emergency response community to work together on any public health emergency.
Preparedness for public health emergencies is a priority. We continually plan, train, and exercise activities to be able to respond quickly to natural disasters, bioterrorism, or disease outbreaks. Public health emergencies can include natural events (flooding, hurricanes, winter weather, etc.) and planned acts (weapons used for mass destruction and bioterrorism). Specially trained staff from our Epidemiology Team (EPI Team) are available to respond to communicable disease outbreaks and public health threats.