Paulding Planning For Public Health Exercise

From the Paulding County Government:

February 27 2020

DALLAS, GA: Over the last several months, multiple Paulding County agencies have been involved in the planning of a statewide public health exercise. On Thursday, March 26, each organization will assist and participate in an exercise to test their ability to assist public health quickly distribute medication to the entire population of Paulding County in the event of a public health emergency.

Focal point for the exercise will be the Dianne Wright Innovation Center, 140 Bethel Church Road, Hiram. Exercise planners expect some temporary road closings or traffic detours nearby.

“This is a week-long, statewide, full-scale emergency-preparedness exercise,” explains Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health

District Emergency Preparedness Director Shelly Stancil, “but the visible portion, which will simulate activity at a POD, or point of dispensing, in Paulding will be at the Wright Center on Thursday.”

Paulding County EMA Deputy Director Stephen Dooley says “ there will be a lot of on-site activity with a hundred or so volunteers participating in the exercise. We want people to understand this is an exercise, not a real event, and not be alarmed.”

Planning and participating in the public health exercise are:

· Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District

· Paulding County Emergency Management Agency

· Paulding County 911

· WellStar Paulding Hospital

· Paulding County Health Department

· Paulding County Sheriff’s Office

· Paulding County Board of Commissioners

· Paulding County School District

· City of Dallas

· Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service

· Hiram Police Department

· Paulding County Marshal Bureau

· Georgia State Patrol

· Paulding County Fire Department

More information about this event will be forthcoming closer to the March 26 date.

This press release was produced by the Paulding County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.