*Health district honored for hitting preparedness benchmarks

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- A nationwide group has honored the Lord Fairfax Health District for its ability to respond to public emergencies.

The district received the recognition by the National Association of County and City Health Officials by meeting "comprehensive preparedness benchmarks" required by Project Public Health Ready, a partnership between the group and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release.

The Lord Fairfax Health District covers Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren.

Health departments recognized by the project undergo an evaluation process by peer review, the release states. The project required the district to meet expectations in public health preparedness in planning, workforce competency and demonstration of all-hazards readiness through exercise or a response to a real event, the release says.

"This recognition confirms that the Lord Fairfax Health District has an emergency response plan in place, the plan is connected to other jurisdictional emergency response plans, agency staff members are trained, and the plan is exercised and used during public health emergencies," the release states.

For more information on Project Public Health Ready visit www.naccho.org/topics/emergency/pphr.cfm.

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