Welcome to the Marion Public Health

Marion Public Health's Role in Disaster Response

The primary role of MPH during disasters is to protect the health and wellbeing of those affected. In natural disasters such as tornadoes, storms, and power outages, protecting the health of affected individuals usually involves: inspecting public shelters to ensure food safety and proper sanitation; advising officials on the need for evacuation and when it is safe to return home; ensuring the safety of the water supply; inspecting restaurants and other facilities to ensure they are safe to reopen; and assessing the impact of the disaster on the environment. In all of these situations, MPH’s goal is to make sure that the disaster situation is not worsened due to unsafe conditions that cause people to get sick during the recovery phase of the incident.

The emergency response plan is the health department's basic plan for response to disasters of all types. Please see Emergency Response Plan to access Marion Public Health's Emergency Response Plan. If you have any comments on the emergency response plan, please email mphadministration@marionpublichealth.org

In public health emergencies, such as communicable disease outbreaks or biological or chemical releases, the health department serves as a leader in the response and has a much larger responsibility throughout the entire response. For instance, public health may provide medication or vaccination to the populations exposed to pandemic influenza, anthrax release, or other biological releases. The health department also conducts medical surveillance and lab testing to determine the extent of the outbreak. In addition, the health department actively seeks to mitigate the effects of the outbreak by educating the public on how to minimize the spread of the disease or protect themselves from exposure.
For more information on public health emergencies, please Click Here

Prepare Now for a Public Health Emergency

If the health department needs to provide medication or vaccination to the entire population (or to an exposed segment of the population), then they will stand up a mass clinic. The affected public will be asked to report to the clinic to receive medication in an organized way, such as alphabetically by last name or according to voting district. Once at the clinic, individuals must complete health history forms, which will be used to determine whether they are eligible for the medications and to track medications dispensed. You can save yourself time by filling out the form and keeping it with your emergency kit. Bring the form with you to the clinic to bypass part of the registration process.

These forms are called NAPH (Name, Address, Phone Number and Health History) forms. A one page and three page form is available. The one-page form will be used by healthy individuals. The three page form should be used by people with medical conditions because it captures more information about the medical condition to help the health department determine whether you are eligible to receive the medication.

NAPH Form (1-page) NAPH Form (3-page)

As with all emergencies, please visit local media outlets for important information regarding public health emergencies. Specific instructions on where and when to receive medication, exposure prevention strategies, and other important information will be broadcast on local radio stations, published in the local newspaper, and updated on our website.

Prepare Yourself and Your Family for All Emergencies

The more prepared you are before a disaster strikes, the more you will be able to combat the effects of that disaster on your family. Follow these 3 steps to prepare for disasters: get a kit, make a plan, and be informed.

GET A KIT
During disasters, emergency workers may not be able to get to you right away. Your emergency supplies kit should be stocked with everything you need to survive on your own after a disaster. Officials recommend having at least a 3 day supply of the necessities—food, water, medication—whatever you need to survive if electricity, gas, water, and telephones are cut off.

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Whistle to signal for help
Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

Prescription medications and glasses
Infant formula and diapers
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
Cash or traveler's checks and change
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
Fire Extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

MAKE A PLAN
Sit down with your family to discuss how you will contact each other during disasters, how you will reunite if you are not together when the disaster occurs, and what you would do in different disaster situation that are likely to occur in your area. Create a plan that contains the following information:

Identify an out-of town contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as "ICE" (In Case of Emergency) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
Teach family members how to use text messaging (also known as SMS or Short Message Service). Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.
Identify a meeting place where you can reunite with your family after a disaster if your neighborhood has been evacuated.
Create an escape plan to evacuate your home in case of fire or other emergency. Draw a map or floor plan of your home and indicate escape routes from each room. Indicate a meeting place outside your home where everyone can gather once they’ve escaped. This will help you and emergency responders ensure that everyone has gotten out of the house safely. Indicate where the gas shut off is located in your home, where the emergency supplies kit is kept, and any other relevant information that needs to be pointed out on the map.
Be sure to review and test your plan at least once or twice a year and make changes as necessary

BE INFORMED
Knowing what to do in an emergency will help you save time, make the right decisions, and may just save your life. Find out what types of emergencies are common in your area and figure out the appropriate way to respond to those emergencies. Read local disaster response plans to see how local emergency workers will handle disaster situations.
When a disaster strikes, be sure to have a radio (and extra batteries) handy so that you can get important information from local officials. This will help you know whether to evacuate your home or shelter in place, where to receive assistance, where to go for medications or vaccinations, and important steps you can take to lessen the effects of the disaster on you and your family.

For more information on emergency preparedness, please visit the ready.gov.

Disaster Planning for Special Needs

If you or a loved one has special needs, it is vitally important that you plan for how you will respond during a disaster. Your emergency supplies kit becomes even more important, as it contains medical supplies that may be essential to your survival. Planning now for how you will evacuate your home and where you will go will make a huge difference when the time comes. While public shelters will be available during the disaster, they will not have the comforts of home and should be seen as an option of last resort. Instead, try to identify friends or family members that you could stay with if you are evacuated from your home. For more information on disaster preparedness for people with special needs, please visit:

Special Needs Planning.

Saving Minutes Special Needs Registry

The Saving Minutes database is a registry of Marion County residents who have been identified as having special needs that inhibit their ability to respond to disasters without the assistance of emergency services personnel. The database will be shared with emergency planners from various disaster response agencies in Marion County to assist them in planning for the evacuation and sheltering of people with medical needs.

The information contained in the registry will be used to determine locations for medical needs shelters, pinpoint people who need special assistance evacuating their homes, and indentify people who may need special assistance to hear or understand evacuation orders. The database will only be activated when a county emergency is declared, an evacuation is ordered, and shelters are opened. However, local fire departments will be given copies of information received from individuals in their jurisdictions. They may use this information to assist them during individual calls to your household (for fires or other personal emergencies).

Adults and children living under the following circumstances may be eligible to join SPSN:

Vision or hearing impaired
Non-ambulatory
Require the assistance of home health agency
Have medical conditions that require special attention in a public shelter (must plug in medical equipment, must check insulin levels regularly, require special cot, etc)
Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, or cancer patients
Psychiatric disorders

The database can include people with both temporary and permanent conditions. If you are not sure whether you are eligible for inclusion in the database, we encourage you to apply. Our team will follow up with you to determine whether you qualify for the program.

To apply for the Saving Minutes database, please visit: Saving Minutes

You can also request a paper application by calling Marion Public Health.
A member of the Medical Reserve Corps will review your application for eligibility. You or your caregiver may be contacted to verify information or to obtain additional information. Once your application is approved, you will be added to the database.
You will be contacted twice a year to ensure you are still eligible for the program. However, you will not need to reapply each year. You may also remove yourself from the database at anytime.