Emergency Preparedness and Response

The Franklin County Health Department, part of the West Piedmont Health District, has an Office of Emergency Preparedness that coordinates the response of the local health department to any public health emergency through preparation, collaboration, education, and rapid intervention. The staff works with local, regional, and state emergency response partners to enhance readiness and response to infectious disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. Some response measures include monitoring and surveillance of all reportable communicable diseases and investigation of disease outbreaks within the community; dispensing of medication; and immunization to limit disease transmission.

Other areas of responsibility include:

• managing the region's cache from the Strategic National Stockpile;
• working with partners to create strong emergency sheltering plans so people have a safe place to go after a catastrophic event;
• helping event coordinators create strong emergency and safety plans for public events such as fairs and concerts, and assisting them to prepare event plans that fit well with the county and city plans. 

The Public Health Emergency Coordinator is available to speak at meetings, clubs, and school events to discuss and teach personal disaster preparedness and business continuity during disasters and emergencies.  Please visit the website for more information.