Madison County Health Department
101 East Edwardsville Road
Wood River, IL 62095
Phone: (618) 692-8954
Fax: (618) 692-8905

Public Health Emergency Response

The division of Public Health Emergency Response is responsible for emergency preparedness and response. The goal of this division is to make Madison County Health Department ready to respond in the event the county is impacted by a bioterrorism incident, natural occurring disaster, a new and emerging infectious disease, and/or any disease outbreaks. The health department will work with other agencies as a team to provide as much preventative health protection for its citizens as scientifically possible. This includes information, early detection, and/ or the appropriate use of interventions such as preventative medication and vaccines, contact tracing and quarantine, safe food and water.

Weapons of Mass Destruction, Emergency Management, and Medical Web Sites

About Us

Debra M. Tscheschlok R.N., B.S.N.
Public Health Emergency Response Coordinator (PH-ERC)
618-692-8954

Chae Li Yong, MPH, MSW, CERC
Local Epidemiologist Expansion Detail (LEED)
618-296-6093

In July 2002 Madison County Health Department began to receive federal funds that were allocated specifically for better preparing public health to respond to bioterrorism events, natural occurring disasters, new and emerging infectious diseases, and disease outbreaks.

Madison County Health Department has always been responsible for preventing the spread of reportable diseases through the community but now the health department must be able to meet new challenges, faced within today’s global community. Public Health must be able to respond and act to such threats such as SARS, West Nile Virus, and the terrorist actions. The responsibility of this division is related to helping the health department become better prepared and able to meet these new challenges by 1) planning and building stronger infrastructures, 2) monitoring disease trends or symptoms trends to identify changes early and implement early interventions, 3) liaison with nontraditional partners, like the police and emergency management, to handle together what disasters/events that may occur, and 4) by bringing information to the public health work force and/or the public in areas of previous unknowns, such as chemical and radiological weapons.

Historically public health has had the responsibility of ensuring that the population as a whole has a chance to be healthy and free of preventable diseases, yet for many years public health has suffered from under-funding. In 2002 when much of working society had access to the Internet and computers, public health workers were still stuck with pen, paper, and textbooks. It does not take much understanding to see that in this day of very fast information exchange and with new-emerging infectious diseases that aren’t yet in the textbooks these methods of communication and learning are completely inadequate. This division and the department as a whole will utilize these funds to address these issues and more.

What we have accomplished since receiving these funds:

Planning and Response:

The health department is available 24/7 for public health emergencies.
The PH-ERC participates in countywide and region-wide planning groups to coordinate and integrate local health department planning for responding to bioterrorism events, natural occurring disasters, new and emerging infectious diseases, and disease outbreaks with other preparedness activities.
In April 2003, President Bush’s Smallpox Vaccination Initiative was implemented
PH-ERC has written and coordinated the health department plan with the state plan to accept the prophylactic medications from Strategic Pharmaceutical Stockpile and/or Illinois Pharmaceutical Stockpile.

Information Technology:

Broadband high-speed Internet is now available for health department staff.
A secure Internet connection between Illinois Department of Public Health and Madison County Health Department for transmission of confidential information has been established.
A health department Web page was established for public to access information.

Continuing Education:

The health department established training for the personnel of Madison County Health Department and the health departments of surrounding counties on how to administer smallpox. In addition, training was also provided for all of Madison County hospital infection disease personnel.
Health department staff is receiving education via any number of methodologies such as satellite, internet, and traditional classroom.

Epidemiology (study of the occurrence and distribution of disease):

Madison County’s PH-ERC and LEED has been active on the Illinois National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS) Advisory Panel. This system will soon allow disease reporting to be done over a secure Internet line that will speed reporting, consequently speeding up the process of public health interventions and reducing the spread of disease in some situations. In addition, identifying trends in disease will be more accurate and efficient.
A new staff member was hired early in 2003 to fill the role of Local Epidemiologist Expansion Detail (LEED).

Future:

Planning and Response:

In the future, PH-ERC plans to continue the work in planning that has been started by improving existing plans and creating other, more specific plans. PH-ERC will also continue to increasing health department networking and other agency or government entities understanding of public health’s role in events and their role with us.

Information Technology:

On-going assessment of needs for computers for staff, some staff is still sharing systems. The I-NEDSS system should be operational statewide by the end of 2003. We start improving/having redundant communication systems for periods when normal systems fail.

Continuing Education:

The staff is required by the state and federal agencies to participate in a training needs assessment relative to workforce development and bioterrorism preparedness and response in 2003. Based on their personal assessment, training will be tailored to their needs. Additionally, applicable staff will need and receive training in the I-NEDSS system.

Epidemiology (study of the occurrence and distribution of disease):

The LEED will be working with the state with a goal of implementing new and inventive active and syndromic local surveillance activities that will enhance the health department’s ability to recognize a terrorist event or infectious disease outbreak in the earliest stages.

Be Prepared At Home

CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response

Get Ready Now

Biological Agents

A to Z Bioterrorist Agent List with Information

Anthrax
Botulism
Brucellosis

SEB (Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B) -see USAMRIID's MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CASUALTIES HANDBOOK

Smallpox
T-2 Mycotoxins-see USAMRIID's MEDICAL MANAGEMENT OF BIOLOGICAL CASUALTIES HANDBOOK