Ottawa County Health Department Obtains Project Public Heath Ready Recognition and the Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion Award

Kerry Chamberlain, PhD, MPH - Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness - MDHHS

Ottawa County Health Department recently achieved the Project Public Heath Ready (PPHR) designation from the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO).  In recognition of this achievement, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services bestowed the Jean Chabut Health Policy champion award during the 2018 Public Health Week celebration.  The Jean Chabut Health Policy Champion award is given for contributions to protecting and improving the health of Michigan residents.  

According to NACCHO, "Project Public Health Ready is a criteria-based training and recognition program that assesses local health department capacity and capability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. PPHR aims to protect the public's health and strengthen the public health infrastructure by equipping local health departments with sustainable tools to plan, train, and exercise using a continuous quality improvement model."

More than 475 health departments nationwide have received PPHR recognition since 2004.  In Michigan, 11 local health departments, including Ottawa County have received recognition.  These local health departments include: 

• Allegan County
• Barry-Eaton District Health Department
• Berrien County
• Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph County District Health Department
• Calhoun County
• Ionia County
• Kalamazoo County
• Kent County
• Macomb County
• Ottawa County
• Van Buren-Cass District Health Department

Jeannie Byrne, former Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Kalamazoo County, who is now a part of the Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness, described the PPHR process as, “a tough process but well worth it.  It gave our health department a chance to really dive deep into our emergency preparedness plans and understand them on a whole new level.”

For more information on PPHR or Michigan's awardees visit the NACCHO PPHR Program Website.

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.

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This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement number, CDC-RFA TP12-1201, 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.

MDHHS Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness | PO Box 30207 | Lansing | MI | 48909