About the Guardian
The Guardian of Public Health is a monthly newsletter from the Bureau of EMS, Trauma, and Preparedness (BETP) within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Guardian aims to provide its readers with relevant content on topics that affect the public health of citizens and communities in Michigan. For questions or comments please contact Kerry Chamberlain at chamberlaink2@michigan.gov.
Tabletop Exercise
with Behavioral Health Partners
Jon Stone - Region 8 Healthcare Coalition Coordinator
During a disaster how are behavioral and mental health
agencies integrated into the community response? This question was at the
genesis of a recent tabletop exercise involving several behavioral/mental
health agency partners serving communities on the western end of the Upper
Peninsula. The exercise was part of a
larger effort to provide disaster preparedness assistance to agencies and
facilities that serve a vulnerable population of Michiganders. The goal of this
effort is to help increase each agency’s capacity to provide continuous support
for their clients during natural or man-made disasters.
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Public
Health Laboratories’ Role in Chemical Exposure Events
Theresa Miller – Chemical Response Training Coordinator –
Bureau of Laboratories
Since September 11, 2001, public health laboratories focused
most of their preparedness efforts on the detection and identification of
biological agents. However, in order to fulfill the public health laboratory’s
all hazard capabilities, other emergency events such as chemical exposures
require additional effort.
One of the key functions of public health departments is to
coordinate collection of environmental and clinical samples for analysis by
public health laboratories. During a
chemical exposure event, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Bureau of Laboratories (MDHHS BOL) role is to provide scientific expertise in
clinical sample analyses protocols for most categories of hazardous chemicals.
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Effectiveness of a Mobile Short-Message-Service–Based Disease Outbreak Alert System in Kenya
Researchers in Emerging Infectious Diseases study whether mobile phone technology can overcome disease reporting issues in Kenya. They tested the mSOS formatted text messaging system which allows healthcare facility workers and Ministry of Health managers to better communicate with each other and uses a Web-based portal to monitor disease notifications and response actions taken. The testing showed the mSOS vastly improved disease reporting over a six month testing period, however, it did not remedy the problem of underreporting of disease cases.
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