Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)

Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) coordinates with county emergency management (EM) and other local and state partners to plan and prepare, respond, and recover from various emergencies. Emergency plans can include pandemic influenza, tornadoes, winter weather, biological agents, floods, and more.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness


Waseca County PHapp

Stay informed and prepared with PHapp—a free tool that monitors verified sources nationwide for health and safety risks. Download now to receive tailored, actionable safety updates—anytime, anywhere.

  1. Public Health Emergency Preparedness
  2. Emergency Management
  3. National Preparedness

Create a flexible and adaptable health department capable of preparing for and responding to a variety of health and environmental hazards to protect the wellbeing of the whole community.

Capabilities

Community PreparednessMedical Material Management and Distribution
Community RecoveryMedical Surge
Emergency Operations CoordinationNonpharmaceutical Interventions
Emergency Public Information and WarningPublic Health Laboratory Testing
Fatality ManagementPublic Health Surveillance & Epidemiological Investigation
Information SharingResponder Safety and Health
Mass CareVolunteer Management
Medical Countermeasure Dispensing & AdministrationOther


Exercises

Exercises can help practice emergency plans and identify improvement areas. A post-exercise review or “hotwash” helps identify strengths and weaknesses to be reported in the After-Action Report- Improvement Plan (AAR-IP).

Preparedness Cycle

The continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response. 

Exercise Cycle

Shows the process of improving and updating plans as we identify problems during exercises. 

Document (2)

Exercise Types

Different exercises evaluate different capabilities. Often the exercises follow a timeline, typically over many years, starting with the least labor intensive (seminar) building up to the most labor intensive (full-scale).

Document (3)

How does public health prepare for disease outbreaks?



MN Responds

Minnesota Responds is a partnership that integrates and engages local, regional, and statewide volunteer programs to strengthen public health and healthcare, reduce vulnerability, build resilience and improve preparedness, and response and recovery capabilities. 

For more information on Minnesota Responds click here or contact Public Health Emergency Preparedness Specialist, Sara Porter at (507) 560-0093 or email.