Weber-Morgan Health Department

(Ogden, UT) – Weber-Morgan Health Department was re-recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for its all-Hazards approach to plan for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. 

Weber-Morgan Health Department first received Project Public Health Ready recognition in 2018. The designation follows a rigorous 18-month evaluation with both state and national peer reviews of the health department’s emergency preparedness and planning to assess its capability to align with federal government requirements and other best practices. Only 500 of the nearly 3,000 local health departments across the country have received the designation. Project Public Health Ready is a partnership between NACCHO and the CDC to help local health department leaders develop public health policies and programs to ensure communities have access to vital programs and services needed to keep them protected from or during disease outbreaks and disasters.  

“To meet this level of preparedness takes a lot of time, focus and effort,” says WMHD Health Officer Brian Cowan. “We are proud to have been recognized for our high level of preparedness and feel confident that we meet national standards and are doing all we can to be ready to respond in the event of a public health emergency.” 

The road to receiving Project Public Health Ready status requires the completion of 289 objectives that become an integral part of the emergency planning process, including a workforce development plan, a training needs assessment and a comprehensive multi-year training and exercise plan for health department staff that incorporate the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers and jurisdictional partners. 

“It is a tremendous feeling of completion and fulfillment to know our team is doing it right and ensuring our jurisdiction has the capability and capacity to support the counties and community in public health disasters. We really appreciate all the amazing staff working within the Weber-Morgan Health Department and couldn’t do our work without the incredible first responders and partner agencies within Weber and Morgan counties. Thank you!”   

PPHR recognition requires health departments to collaborate with their local, state, federal and community partners to develop plans that work in conjunction with all the constituents in their jurisdictions.  

To learn more about our Project Public Health Ready, see www.naccho.org/PPHR. For more information about the Weber-Morgan Health Department’s programs and services, see www.webermorganhealth.org. 

MEDIA CONTACT
Lori Buttars, PIO
Weber-Morgan Health Department
801-399-7114

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