(Xenia,
OH) Greene County’s Health Commissioner, Mark McDonnell, was part of the
“Code Orange: Securing Ohio’s Public Health During Insecure Times”
conference held September 22nd to 25th in Columbus, Ohio.
“We
feel more prepared for SARS after hearing a Toronto, Canada-based speaker
discuss how the other Ohio health districts dealt with the quickly spreading
disease last winter,” according to Health Commissioner McDonnell. The
commissioner expressed hope that Greene County never faces what Canada battled.
The
Association of Ohio Health Commissioners’ annual conference brought health
officials from across the state to Columbus to hear Jane Speakman, a clinician
and lawyer intimately involved in Canada’s regional response to the SARS
outbreak. The disease spread quickly worldwide, but outbreaks were very
devastating in China and Canada last winter. The World Health Organization
placed Toronto on a travel advisory list last year because of the outbreak,
challenging local health officials to respond by quarantining some patients.
Other
newly emerging diseases, such as MRSA and Monkeypox, seen or dealt with
regionally, were also highlighted. Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s, Dr. Steve
Gordon outlined some of the reasons these new diseases are spreading so quickly.
“All
of these examples and discussions help us move faster on the learning curve,”
according to Health Commissioner McDonnell.
Nearly
200 state and local officials participated in this 3-day learning session,
including Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Nick Baird, officials from the
Ohio Homeland Security Office and The Ohio State University, in addition to
Health Commissioners, Administrators, Medical Directors, and Environmental
Directors.
For
additional information, contact Greene County Combine Health District, Mark A.
McDonnell, Health Commissioner, at 937-374-5600 or 1-866-858-3588.
Greene County Combined Health District – Your center for public health services and health information in Greene County for over 70 years.