GULF COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT EARNS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS RECOGNITION

Gulf County Health Department is honored as “Public Health Ready”

Gulf County, FL– The Gulf County Health Department has been recognized by the National
Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for its ability to respond to public health
emergencies. NACCHO, the voice of the 2,800 local health departments across the country, provides
resources to help local health department leaders develop public health policies and programs to ensure
that communities have access to vital programs and services that people need to keep them protected
from disease and disaster.
The Gulf County Health Department met the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by
Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. PPHR is a criteria-based public health preparedness program that
assesses local health department capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health
emergencies. The Gulf County Health Department joins a cohort of nearly 300 local health departments
across the country that have been distinguished for their agencies’ preparedness efforts through PPHR.
“We are proud to have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of
preparedness,” said Marsha Lindeman, Administrator of the Gulf County Health Department and
Interim Administrator of the Franklin County Health Department. “I believe that this honor is
exceedingly well-deserved because it reflects tremendous effort, dedication, creativity, and
cooperation on the part of our entire team of experts. We will continue to improve our ability to
quickly and effectively respond to any public health crisis in Gulf County.”
“All disasters strike locally, and local health departments are a critical part of any community’s first
response to disease outbreaks, emergencies, and acts of terrorism,” said Robert Pestronk, NACCHO
Executive Director. “NACCHO commends the Gulf County Health Department for being a model of
public health emergency preparedness.”
Local health departments recognized by PPHR undergo a rigorous evaluation by peer review. PPHR
required the Gulf CHD to meet a set of national standards for public health preparedness in three key areas:
preparedness planning, workforce competency, and demonstration of all-hazards readiness through
exercises or a response to a real event. PPHR recognition confirms that the Gulf County Health
Department has a thorough and coordinated emergency response plan in place, that agency staff members
are trained, and that the agency exercises the plan and uses it during public health emergencies.  
The mission of the Gulf County Health Department is to protect, promote & improve the health of all
people in Florida through integrated state, county, & community efforts. For more information on Project
Public Health Ready, including recognized sites, project tools, and resources, visit
http://www.naccho.org/PPHR .
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