Leon County Public Health Unit

Hurricanes, fires, floods, disease epidemics, bioterrorism, toxic chemical and radiation releases… all of these disaster scenarios have consequences for public health. The Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) at the Leon County Health Department works not only with Leon County response agencies, but also with emergency managers, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, hospitals, and other county health departments throughout the 13 county North Florida Region Domestic Security Task Force. The PHPR Team writes plans, conducts public health training, and develops exercises to help assure that we are better prepared to assess and respond to the public health consequences of a disaster event. Members of our PHPR Team worked in Leon and other Florida counties in response to the 2004 hurricanes.

There are eight members on the PHPR Team with broad experience in public health, epidemiology, weapons of mass destruction, emergency operations, law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical services, and hospital operations. Public health preparedness begins with individuals and families and integrates through organizations and government. We would welcome opportunities to discuss public health preparedness in Leon communities either in a single presentation or in partnership with the Capital Region Chapter of the American Red Cross neighborhood disaster planning classes.