The Joplin Health Department, in partnership with the Jasper County Health Department, participates in emergency preparedness planning initiatives at local, state, and federal levels. Public health emergency preparedness includes planning and epidemiology services related to infectious diseases, natural disasters and biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events. These services are supplemented by a PHEP (Public Health Emergency Preparedness) standards from HHS (Health and Human Services) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), which is administered by MDHSS (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) to local agencies. 

This involves routinely working through the 15 capabilities set forth in the PHEP standards. These include:

1. Community Preparedness
2. Community Recovery
3. Emergency Operations Coordination
4. Emergency Public Information and Warning
5. Fatality Management
6. Information Sharing
7. Mass Care
8. Medical Countermeasure Dispensing and Administration
9. Medical Materiel Management and Distribution
10. Medical Surge
11. Nonpharmaceutical Interventions 
12. Public Health Laboratory Testing (not applicable to Joplin or Jasper County Health Departments)
13. Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigations
14. Responder Safety and Health
15. Volunteer Management

The health department participates with other community partners in committees that work toward community preparedness for emergencies. Membership includes a variety of community stakeholders from the City of Joplin, Jasper County and Newton County.

• Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) - Medical Subcommittee (aka Joplin/Jasper County - Emergency Healthcare Coalition (J/JC-EHC))
• Southwest Coalition Western District Non-Urban Healthcare Coalition, sponsored by the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA)

Emergency preparedness plans that have been developed and maintained by the Joplin and Jasper County Health Department include: 

• Agricultural Terrorism Plan
• Animal Emergency Response Plan
• Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
• Local Public Health Emergency Plan (LPHEP)
• Pandemic Flu Preparedness Plan
• Sheltering Support Plan for American Red Cross Emergency Shelters
• Strategic National Stockpile Plan (SNS)

For more information, go to https://www.ready.gov/ or contact the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at the Joplin Health Department at 417-623-6122.