State Health Division preps for crises

Nevada State Health Division recently hired Annie Uccelli as the spokeswoman for its Public Health Preparedness Program. Uccelli, 27, managed public relations for two of downtown Reno's largest hotel casinos. She is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno.

The program received $11.5 million in federal funding last year and is expected to draw another $14.1 million in 2004 to better prepare the state for major health crisis, such as bioterrorism and the West Nile virus.

Why was the state Public Health Preparedness Program initiated?

This program was initiated to strengthen our state's response to a public health crisis. As part of the Health Division, it's our job to let the public know what they can do now to prepare for emergencies, and what to do next while in the midst of a crisis.

The Public Health Preparedness Program (PHPP) as it is today has been in existence since 2002. Previously, there had been a public health system in place for many years to deal with earthquakes, floods and wildfires, as well as general public health needs. With the funding received from 2002 on, part of the public health system dealing with bioterrorism, disease outbreak and other disaster responses has been formalized into the PHPP.

What are the issues that the program is preparing to respond to?

Public health preparedness can mean many things, from promoting flu shots to giving people a list of things they can put together for an emergency supply kit. Right now, our program is focused on bioterrorism preparedness and response. Bioterrorism includes both biological agents, like anthrax, and infectious diseases like smallpox.

How will the program help Nevada residents with the introduction of West Nile virus this summer?

The program is definitely involved with the development of public health issues surrounding West Nile virus. First, we identified other agencies and programs that could be affected by this -- in other words, who our partners are. Then, we worked together with those partners on our public communication, expanded surveillance of the virus and shared other resources, such as funds for mosquito abatement in rural areas.

And, we're also alerting the public to things they can do to prevent the spread of West Nile virus, by giving them the facts on the risks of the disease. For example, our Web site (health2k.state.nv.us) features a "Fight the Bite" section on the home page, which has all the facts about West Nile virus, including symptoms and statistics about cases in Nevada.

How is the state prepared for biological terrorism, such as a smallpox outbreak? How is the division preparing the state for such an event? Is the state better prepared now than we were five years ago to deal with a major public health crisis?

The state is better prepared now than we were on Sept. 11 due to a number of enhancements to infrastructure, most notably improved communication among state and local agencies.

We're able to confirm illnesses - such as smallpox - more rapidly, due to the increased educational efforts for the health-care community, as well as improvements in the laboratory system. That would entail communicating results from the lab, not only to the practitioner, but also to the health-care community as a whole, as well as other agencies, media and the public.

Will this program help the health division communicate with the public in the event of an emergency or disease outbreak?

In the event of an emergency or disease outbreak, several state and local agencies, including the health division, would step up to communicate with the public, as well as the media.

Will the public see a more open and transparent state health division through programs like this?

We are in the business of public information, and we want to get the correct information out to the public in a timely manner. At the same time, we also have a duty to protect the privacy of Nevadans, and that means we have to comply with the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) standards. Because of that, we won't always release personal specifics, like names, ages and addresses; but we will always make available the information people need to protect themselves.