Charlotte County Health Department was certified as a Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) health department after undergoing a rigorous review process conducted by the PPHR Review Committee and the Florida Department of Health. This certification means that a health department has been deemed prepared to respond to emergency public health events to protect the public and the environment. Project Public Health Ready is a unique partnership program between the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In 2005, the Florida Department of Health adopted the national PPHR standards of the NACCHO/CDC program and continues to implement the recognition standards for health departments state-wide. 

“We are proud to have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of preparedness,” said Steven Mitnick, administrator of the Charlotte County Health Department. “We strive daily to be ready to respond to any public health emergency in Charlotte County.”

“This was really a team effort between the health department and our community partners,” said John Trawick, Director of Public Health Preparedness for the Charlotte County Health Department.  “We will continue to improve our ability to quickly and effectively respond to any public health crisis in Charlotte County.”

“NACCHO commends Charlotte County Health Department for being a model of public health emergency preparedness,” said Patrick Libbey, executive director of NACCHO.  “The public health system is making great strides thanks to the good work of leaders in local public health preparedness such as Charlotte County.”

Local health departments recognized by PPHR undergo an evaluation process that includes reviews by three members of the PPHR Review Committee.  To gain recognition, the PPHR required Charlotte County Health Department to meet expectations of public health preparedness in three key areas: preparedness planning; workforce competency; and demonstration of all-hazards readiness through exercises or response to real events.  The recognition confirms that Charlotte County Health Department has an emergency response plan in place, the plan is appropriately connected to other jurisdictional emergency response plans, agency staff members are trained, and the plan is exercised and used during public health and other community emergencies. 

Florida is the first state health department to coordinate this national public health program at a state-wide level.  For more information on all Project Public Health Ready sites and project tools and resources, go to http://www.naccho.org/topics/emergency/pphr.cfm.