Allegan County Health Department

Mission
Assure that Allegan County Public Health Department
is fully prepared to respond, in a timely and comprehensive manner, to any public health emergency and threat.

Goals

• Ensure that there is an appropriate identification and response to public health emergencies and bioterrorism events.
• Secure a competent public health, healthcare, and emergency response workforce exists in our jurisdiction.
• Confirm that the Allegan County Health Departments policies will support an effective and coordinated response to a public health emergency.
• Verify that State, Local and community partnerships are mobilized- to promptly identify problems, to coordinate a response to public health emergencies and to assure adequate health care for affected individuals.

National Recognition
In 2014, Allegan County Health Departments Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Division received national recognition for emergency preparedness planning. This prestigious award was given to ACHD's PHEP by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for the division's ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. The Emergency Preparedness & Bioterrorism Coordinator, Kathy Yonkers-Wright, RDH, MS, CAGS submitted emergency preparedness plans met 100% of the 287 benchmarks to prove readiness capabilities. No deficiencies were noted. These preparedness benchmarks are required for recognition by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ACHD's PHEP received full recognition for five years.

The Department was awarded the Jean Chabut's Policy Champion Award in 2015 for the completion of the PPHR national accreditation. This special recognition was signed by Governor Snyder.

Comments made by the PPHR reviewers include:

• Exemplary Practice: The applicant's Vulnerable Population Profile is an example of model practice.
• Overall Application Comment: The applicants plan provides a foundational framework for departmental response operations and integration into other response frameworks.