Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Bioterrorism

The passage of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 provided funding to all states for bioterrorism (BT) preparedness through a cooperative agreement program operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agreement provides support to state and selected local health departments in the following areas: 

• Preparedness Planning and Readiness Assessment: Establish strategic leadership, direction, assessment, and coordination of activities within the jurisdiction.
• Surveillance and Epidemiology Capacity: Enable state and local health departments to enhance, design, and develop systems for rapid detection of unusual outbreaks that may be the result of bioterrorism.
• Laboratory Capacity-Biological Agents: Ensure that core diagnostic capabilities for bioterrorism agents are available at all state and major city/county public health laboratories.
• Laboratory Capacity-Chemical Agents: Ensure that core diagnostic capabilities for chemical agents are available at all state and major city / county public health laboratories.
• Health Alert Network / Communications and Information Technology: Enable state and local public health agencies to establish and maintain a network that will:
  • Support exchange of key information and training by linking public health and private partners
  • Provide rapid dissemination of public health advisories to news media and the public
  • Ensure secure electronic data exchanges
  • Ensure protection of data, information, and systems, with adequate backup, organizational capacity, and surge capacity
• Risk Communication and Health Information Dissemination: Ensure that state and local public health organizations develop an effective risk-communication capacity that provides for timely information dissemination to the public during a bioterrorist attack.

Education and Training: Ensure that state and local health departments have the capacity to:

• Access the training needs for key public health and clinical care providers in their jurisdictions
• Ensure that education and training are provided to key target audiences
• Be Prepared - Cities Readiness Initiative - Wichita MSA

Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI)

The Cities Readiness Initiative is a federally funded effort to prepare major U.S. cities and metropolitan areas to effectively respond to a large scale bioterrorist event by dispensing antibiotics to their entire identified population within 48 hours of the decision to do so. The Wichita Metropolitan Area, which includes Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, and Sumner counties, is a participating member of the Cities Readiness Initiative.

“This publication was supported by the Grant or Cooperative Agreement Number, NU90TP922049, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.”

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC)

Founded in 2002, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a group of locally organized healthcare and non-healthcare volunteers working to strengthen the health and safety of their community. The goal of the MRC is to improve local emergency response capabilities, reduce potential public health risks and vulnerabilities, and build community preparedness and resilience. The MRC is not just about disaster preparedness; they also serve an important role by educating and assisting the community in living active, healthy lives.

Today, the MRC network comprises 200,000+ volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. Specifically, the Butler County unit serves eighteen communities throughout the county, mainly helping in the capacity of non-emergency essential health services such as health education, vaccination clinics and community outreach.

Our Mission

The Butler County Medical Reserve Corps, as part of a nationwide volunteer network, supports the wellbeing of our communities through volunteers who work to keep their family, friends, and neighbors safe and healthy.

Our Volunteers

The volunteer responsibilities may include support for local hospitals and clinics with surge needs, support for mass care units in the event of a disaster, immunization campaigns, and public health awareness efforts. The MRC identifies the needs of the community and provides residents with medical and public health resources that may not otherwise be available to them. MRC volunteers help make our nation safe, stronger and better prepared. Through training, exercises, drills, team building activities and emergency awareness courses, they improve the lives of our fellow citizens.

Anyone 18 years of age or older can become a volunteer and aid in a variety of situations that can benefit from both healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers. Non-healthcare workers provide valuable technical assistance, clerical support, logistics, translation assistance and much more!

Register on SERV KS  and choose Butler County MRC as your unit! For more information, email Broderick Bean.

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