Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)

Public Health Emergency Preparedness protects the lives of people in Maine from natural or man-made public health threats or emergencies. PHEP strengthens the ability of health agencies and partner organizations by facilitating:

  • Community Preparedness
  • Community Recovery
  • Emergency Operations Coordination
  • Emergency Public Information and Warning
  • Fatality Management
  • Information Sharing
  • Mass Care
  • Medical Countermeasure Dispensing
  • Medical Materiel Management and Distribution
  • Medical Surge
  • Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions
  • Public Health Laboratory Testing
  • Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation
  • Responder Safety and Health
  • Volunteer Management
  • Disaster Behavioral Health Response Team

 

The DHHS Maine CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness is responsible for:

  • Development and implementation of public health emergency planning
  • Coordination of emergency resources in the State of Maine
    • Health care services
    • Medical resources
    • Communications resources
    • Exercise and Training
    • Emergency Volunteers

 

Maine's public health infrastructure includes State, community and non-profit organizations that have collaboratively established a public health network, rather than the classic model of multiple sub-state departments.

  • Two city health departments are in place to support the residents in their cities and some surrounding cities: the Portland Public Health Division External site disclaimer and Bangor Public Health and Community Services External site disclaimer.
  • Regional and Tribal infectious disease surveillance units staffed by epidemiologists cover the entire state.
  • The Health Care Coalition of Maine focuses on assessment and reporting of regional health care system infrastructure and capacity for health care response, health care systems planning, improving regional capacity for communication, and training of health professionals.