PHENS Coordinator, Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator

The PHENS Coordinator works to establish, expand and ensure effective communications among public health professionals, healthcare organizations, law enforcement agencies, clinicians, school officials, public officials, emergency responders and businesses through the development of the Community Health Alert and Information Network (CHAIN). By strengthening information access among local and community partners, the PHENS Coordinator can assure rapid notification of public health events or information that may impact the health of the community. Trained in the use of communication technology, the PHENS Coordinator can receive and transmit information to the CHAIN 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, regardless of location.

The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) coordinator is charged with recruiting, training and retaining volunteers to respond in a Public Health emergency. MRC volunteers would help augment the Sussex County Department of Health’s response to a public health emergency. Both medical and non medical volunteers are currently needed. For more information visit the MRC pages on the Sussex County web site.


Public Health Nurse

The LINCS Agency Public Health Nurse works with the NJDOH Assigned Public Health Planner, Division of Emergency Management and Office of the Prosecutor to ensure that emergency plans are fully developed to the operational level, including standard operating procedures for distribution of emergency medical supplies in the LINCS agency area. The LINCS Agency Public Health Nurse also works with local Public Health Nurses and hospital infection control to ensure a coordinated response to a communicable disease or food borne outbreak and to ensure that all parties understand the reportable communicable disease regulations and the notification and response protocols.


Health Educator, Risk Communicator

The Health Educator is responsible for the design and delivery of county-wide bioterrorism/public health emergency-related training, distance learning coordination, training needs assessment and curriculum design and development for bioterrorism and other public health emergency preparedness related issues. The Health Educator collaborates with multiple stakeholders from public health, law enforcement, medical personnel, first responders, emergency managers and others to design, develop and deliver training programs for various focus areas. Training sessions are accomplished through a variety of methods including classroom instruction, self-study materials, online training and assessment, videos and certification testing. Additionally, the Health Educator is actively involved in designing flyers and brochures for the Division of Health and coordinates the use and maintenance of educational equipment, resources and materials. The Health Educator also provides course updates for public health and emergency preparedness training and coordinates trainings with other professional organizations related to public safety and education.

The Risk Communicator uses crisis and emergency risk communication techniques to provide information that allows individuals, or entire communities, to make the best possible decisions about their well-being during emergencies. Additionally, the Risk Communicator works with the media through print, radio and television to encourage the public to choose the best possible actions or behaviors before, during and after health emergencies, thus minimizing health risks and encouraging a rapid recovery.


The threat of bio-terrorism in the United States has increased in recent years. New and persistent health threats that exceed the abilities of our existing, fragmented local and state public health infrastructures are becoming more common. Our society has become very mobile, which means that a disease originating in one state may be transferred to many other states in a single day. Without the needed information system in place, clusters of disease cases can go undiagnosed for weeks while contagion spreads silently. A bio-terrorism event, like other health threats, will be detected first at the local level. Health facilities throughout Alaska and the lower 48 states must have the capacity to detect and respond to these threats.

Together, your Sussex County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Team is dedicated to ensuring a swift and effective response to a terror attack, or any other kind of public health emergency.


Public Health Emergency Preparedness Home

New Jersey Department of Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New Jersey Goverment Home Page Federal Emergency Management Agency
United States Dept. of Health and Human Services United States Dept. of Homeland Security Ready.Gov nj homeland security