Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Receives National Honor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2008
Contact
Julie Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator
(217) 531-5369 /
Lori A. Holmes, Public Relations
(217) 531-2927
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Receives National Honor
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is Selected by Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as a National Pilot Site for Pandemic Influenza Planning Workshop
Champaign, IL – The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), to be one of two national pilot sites for the new “Workshop in Community Partnerships for Pandemic Influenza Planning.” CUPHD shares this honor with the Winston-Salem community in North Carolina. The 3 day workshop provides an opportunity for the collaboration between community partners to effectively identify strategies and plan for an influenza pandemic as it might relate to the local healthcare system.
An influenza pandemic has the potential to cause more death and illness in the United States than any other public health threat and will likely be accompanied by a tremendous surge in demand for medical care and a shortage of available resources. Pandemic planning requires community consensus on the actions and priorities required to prepare for and respond to crisis. It is anticipated that local health care systems will play a critical role in responding to these needs.
“The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is very honored to be one of the national sites chosen for the CDC workshop on pandemic influenza planning” said Julie A. Pryde, Acting Public Health Administrator. “With today’s global society, pandemic influenza is an alarming and life-threatening inevitability. CUPHD is committed to providing Champaign-Urbana residents with as many resources as possible in a pandemic crisis. This workshop will provide the additional tools, and planning necessary to prepare a more seamless, timely and comprehensive response.”
Through facilitated activities, the “Workshop in Community Partnerships for Pandemic Influenza Planning” aims to assist communities to become better prepared for an influenza pandemic. The specific goals of the workshop are for communities to collaborate on:
- Developing strategies to deliver healthcare to those at home, within the community, and up to and including the emergency room.
- Identifying the issues and obstacles likely to occur during a healthcare system’s response.
- Identifying gaps in existing Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plans, if communities have already initiated planning.
With the assistance of workshop facilitators, both during and after the workshop, it is anticipated that the following deliverables can be produced:
- A generic diagram that depicts a community’s model of healthcare and identifies strategies for delivering healthcare across all sectors.
- An outline of the community’s model of healthcare that identifies potential obstacles with the steps that can be taken to solve them.
CUPHD currently has pandemic influenza planning, resources available to the public on the web at www.stock2forflu.com. Additional materials are available at the new CUPHD location at 201 West Kenyon road in Champaign.
For more information on this or any other CUPHD program, please contact CUPHD at (217) 352-7961 or visit CUPHD on the web at www.c-uphd.org.
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