Task Force Standing-Two PIO officers?

Dr. Jeffrey Yocum along with EMA Director Dan Kauffman and Brian Burke discussed the Swine flu and difficulty in obtaining information from the Department of Health.

Agreeing that EMA needs information to make decisions, Commissioner Litz questioned whether or not the Avian Flu task force had standing or jurisdiction to obtain information from the PA Department of Health. Other counties seem to operate efficiently without a task force. In the past, EMA worked with the County Commissioners and Good Samaritan Hospital to plan and address disasters. On a Carpenter/Stohler motion, the Avian Flu Task Force became the Pandemic Task Force.  Commissioner Litz voted nay. She believes that the task force creates another level of bureaucracy; any health-related task force should be regional—we dont live on an island—to be aware of what is crossing our borders; and that the Avian flu task force has not communicated progress with minutes of meetings. 

On a Carpenter/Stohler motion, Dr. Yocum was appointed as a Pandemic PIO. Commissioner Litz voted nay. Lebanon County already has a Public Information Officer. He is not a weatherman, radiological officer, or doctor, but as a crisis arises, the commissioners and PIO consult with professionals in each of these fields.  Decisions are made and communicated via the PIO. Two PIOs may create confusion over who to ask for information, and presents a scenario where conflicting information could be disseminated.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Flu Task Force
• Lebanon County
• PA
• Jo Ellen Litz
• www.joellenlitz.com