Get Healthy: Carson emergency preparedness works toward readiness

This column appears in the Nevada Appeal Wednesday health pages. It addresses topics related to the health of our community.Recently, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health released the annual Ready or Not? report detailing the state emergency readiness across the country. Conceived as a tool to assess the readiness of the country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, this is the 10th year for this report. Although the state of Nevada received an unsatisfactory 4 out of 10 score in this report, Carson City Health and Human Services wants to assure our community that our efforts to respond to a public health-related emergency remain a priority, and with your help, we continue to improve. Even as funding for local health departments continues to diminish, Carson City preparedness planners along with county epidemiologists operate round-the-clock to track and limit the number of disease outbreaks in our area. As we are approaching a potentially serious flu season, public health nurses and support staff have provided nearly 9,000 community outreach influenza vaccinations to people in Carson City and surrounding areas. These community outreach clinics, as well as our annual Drive-through flu clinic, serve as practice for the staff in preparation for a real public health emergency.Planners are also working to identify vulnerable individuals in the community that may need additional aid during times of emergency and to connect them with essential resources and services. Planners partner with local hospitals to provide supplies such as generators, radios, and other necessities for an overwhelming medical surge situation. Carson City public health preparedness staff are constantly implementing and evaluating response strategies for pandemics, bioterrorism, and other emergency disasters in which CCHHS may play a role. The Western Nevada Medical Reserve Corps, a group of trained and pre-registered volunteers housed at Carson City Health & Human Services, works with preparedness planners to participate in drills and to respond when public health related emergencies arise. You can join the Medical Reserve Corps if you want to help, by signing up at www.servnv.org. The complete Ready or Not? Report is available on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s website, www.rwjf.org. To learn more about the Public Health Preparedness Division at Carson City Health and Human Services or about volunteering for the Western Nevada Medical Reserve Corps please visit www.gethealthycarsoncity.org or “like” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/CCHHS. Food for Flu is back: Through the end of the year, bring in two nonperishable food items to receive a voucher for a free flu vaccine, redeemable any Thursday in December in our clinic. If you have not yet received your flu shot, this is a great opportunity for you to receive it while helping to feed the hungry in our community. Carson City Healthand Human Services:900 E. Long St., Carson City.Call 775-887-2195.Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday; call for appointment. Well-child visits: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays. Men’s clinic: 4-6 p.m. Mondays Immunization Day: 8:30-11:30 a.m.; 1-4:30 p.m. Thursdays.Douglas CountyCommunity Health:1538 Highway 395 North (corner of Spruce Street and Cemetery Lane).Call 775-782-9038.Hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday; 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Monday is Immunization Day: No appointment needed, 1-4:30 p.m.