Three Rivers Public Health Department Selected to Test New Pandemic Influenza Helpline Flu on Call™
publish date: Tuesday, January 12, 2016
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Three Rivers Public Health Department (3RPHD) is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), to pilot test a new toll-free telephone helpline called Flu on Call™.
Flu on Call™ is a national network of call centers that provides information and free medical advice to callers during a severe influenza pandemic. Although there is no pandemic anywhere in the world now, 3RPHD has been selected to offer this service to residents of Dodge, Saunders and Washington counties in Eastern Nebraska as part of a pilot test.
“As flu season gets underway, we know people will have questions about seasonal flu,” said Terra Uhing, Executive Director. “Beginning in January, 3RPHD will begin testing a pandemic preparedness helpline, called Flu on Call™, to provide our community with information and advice about seasonal flu and to test this service as part of preparing for a future emergency. Two U.S. communities have been selected to test Flu on Call™. We are honored to be one of them.”
This grant is an example of collaboration within our communities and would not have been possible without the commitment of the following partners: Memorial Community Hospital & Health System, Blair Community Schools, Fremont Health, Fremont Public Schools, Saunders Medical Center, Wahoo Public Schools, Good Neighbor Fremont and Nebraska Regional Control Center.
CDC’s National Standards for State and Local Planning encourage health departments to develop a variety of capabilities in their preparedness plans. An important part of preparedness is the ability to provide methods for the public to contact the health department with questions or concerns. Flu on Call™ is being developed to serve the public as an additional source of information and advice during a pandemic. More information about Flu on Call™ will be made available closer to the launch date.
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