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Emergency Preparedness Website

Public Health Preparedness Office

Preparedness in Allegany County

The mission of the Public Health Preparedness Office is to provide an organized and responsive public healthintervention to all emergencies. Public Health emergencies include natural events (like the floods) and intentional acts (like the use of biological weapons for mass destruction.) The Health Department serves as a community resource for education, training and information on public health emergencies.

Bioterrorism is a unique form of terrorism which entails the use of biological organisms for the sole purpose of spreading potentially deadly diseases. Bioterrorism is the unlawful or threatened use of microorganisms or toxins derived from living organisms to produce death or disease in humans, animals, or plants. The act is intended to create fear, inflict injury and/or death, and to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of political, religious, or ideological goals.

Public Health has a critical role in bioterrorism preparedness and response. Public Health response includes identifying the disease, stopping and preventing the spread of disease, and establishing dispensing sites to treat affected persons, and provides information to the community on ways to avoid contamination.

In the event of a bioterrorism emergency, the health department has established emergency procedures to help protect the community. These procedures include the release of public information on ways residents can protect themselves, and agreements with specific local agencies to set up outlying medication clinics, as necessary. Finally, the health department participates as a member of the emergency response community to work collaboratively on any public health emergency.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Centers for Disease Control

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Maryland Office of Preparedness and Response

Maryland Emergency Management Agency

Click HERE for the Maryland Natural Hazards Preparedness Guide!

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact us by
phone or by email.

Contact our staff:

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