It is critical during the early stages of a potential emergency
that the Public Health response is an informed and cohesive one.
In order for this to occur, it is necessary to have in place a
centralized emergency response team that can assess a potential
emergent situation to provide decision makers with critical information.
In the emerging world of terrorism there is a need to have a rapidly
deployable public health capability.
Purpose
The Public Health Emergency Response Team (PHERT) is a multidisciplinary
team of public health personnel that will be deployed in the early stages
of a potential Public Health event to conduct rapid assessment and
epidemiologic investigations.
Background
Los Angeles County has experienced numerous disasters, ranging
from earthquakes to fires to civil unrest, that have all required
a robust countywide emergency response. These disasters have led
to the development of extensive operational experience and broad
emergency response capabilities within the jurisdiction. However,
the intentional anthrax outbreaks in the fall of 2001 and subsequent
efforts to prepare for bioterrorism and other public health emergencies
in Los Angeles County have illustrated the need for greater involvement
of personnel with training in epidemiology and public health principles.
Any disaster (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive,
natural) will require a rapid, coordinated response to assess the
public health impact of an event, identify risk factors for adverse
outcomes, and target resources for swift recovery and rehabilitation
of affected communities.
Core Public Health PHERT Mission and Activities
The overarching mission of the PHERT is to conduct rapid, coordinated
epidemiologic and clinical investigations or health needs assessments
while providing technical assistance to response partners in the mitigation,
response and recovery of public health emergencies. In addition, PHERT has
two specific missions:
Mission I: To provide an on-scene presence and to assist in coordinating
Public Health functions during a multi-agency potential terrorism response.
Primary Mission I Activities:
- Respond in real time in the context of a possible terrorist event with
other response agencies including Health Hazmat, FBI, LA Police Department
and Los Angeles Sheriff Department to assess a potential threat
- Collect and communicate information from the field to the Public
Health Technical Advisory Group (TAG) or other central Public Health authority
- Gather information on behalf of the Technical Advisory Group
- Act as the Public Health representative to the Unified Command structure
and carry out orders of the Health Officer
- Serve as a conduit between responder agencies and Public Health and
recommend resource needs for Public Health on-scene response
Mission II: To provide surge capacity and assist Public Health programs and
field staff in the investigation of other public health emergencies, including
disease outbreaks and natural disasters.
Primary Mission II Activities:
- Provide rapid response capacity for investigating suspected or confirmed
cases of disease, determining sources of exposure, including defining
at-risk groups
- Assist Public Health programs and field staff as needed in the
investigation of other public health emergencies, including
disease outbreaks and natural disasters
- Technical or operational assistance to emergency response personnel
- Identification of at-risk populations for the effective deployment
and delivery of public health resources (needs assessments, contact
tracing, etc.)
- Provide critical public health information to those affected
by the event and interface with other local responders on the potential
health risks of a disaster
- Evaluation and analysis of post-disaster impact, resource utilization,
and community health through rapid needs assessments and impact surveys
- Review medical charts, emergency department logs, hospital admissions
data, coroner’s records, and other data sources; conduct interviews with cases,
their surrogates, and other potential contacts
- Collect, manage, analyze, and summarize epidemiologic data and communicate
findings
- Conduct environmental inspections and testing
