Cook County public health staff outline preparedness, communication and disease‑control work; urge community outreach

Cook County Public Health staff presented an overview of the county’s emergency preparedness and disease‑prevention work to the Cook County Public Health and Human Services Board on June 17, describing the county’s statutory responsibility under Minnesota law, recent funding gains, volunteer platforms and planned communications tools.

The presentation, led by public health staff member Grace and Andrea Tofte, emphasized that local public health must coordinate with regional partners and prepare for hazards beyond pandemic response. "This is a statutory area of responsibility under Minnesota state law," Grace told the board, and the team pointed to standards set by the National Public Health Accreditation Board as a reference for routine preparedness work.

The report matters because Cook County faces climate‑related and geographic risks — wildfire smoke, severe winter storms, power outages, social isolation in remote areas and an uptick in tick‑borne disease — and local health agencies are the community’s primary coordinators for mitigation, response and recovery.

Most of the presentation focused on how the county organizes that work. Staff described coordination through the four‑county Community Health Board and the Northeast Healthcare Coalition; a local emergency preparedness committee that includes Emergency Management, clinics, schools, utilities and media; and a volunteer platform called Minnesota Response. Andrea Tofte explained the dual tracks of emergency preparedness (EP) and disease prevention and control (DPC), saying the county tailors the national preparedness cycle — mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery — to local realities such as long distances to hospitals and seasonal tourism.

Staff described recent shifts in funding and capacity. Prior to the COVID‑19 pandemic the county had "about 10 staff hours a week" for emergency preparedness and disease‑prevention activities; during the pandemic grant funding expanded surge capacity. Grace said the state response sustainability grant is "the first time in state history that state resources have been dedicated to disease prevention and control and emergency preparedness" and that the county continues to receive CDC and state funding for some work.

Current staffing was described in concrete terms: Tofte "dedicates about half of her time to disease prevention and control and emergency preparedness," while Grace estimated she spends "about 5 hours a week" supervising that work and providing leadership as needed.

Staff walked the board through specific planning documents and annexes that the county maintains or is developing: points of dispensing/medical countermeasure annexes (PODs), inhalation/wildfire smoke response annexes, drinking‑water incident response, mass‑fatality annexes scaled for a small county, and an updated infectious‑disease plan. Grace and Andrea said the county is working toward a dedicated public health emergency response plan that will summarize roles and link to the multi‑hazard mitigation plan developed with emergency management and external partners.

Communication and outreach were central themes. Staff described a multi‑tiered communication strategy they call "bite, snack, meal": small magnets or short radio messages (the "bite"), then social posts or brief updates (the "snack"), and longer website resources (the "meal"). The county has produced magnets on air quality and power outages that are being distributed through PHHS, Care Partners and community events; staff said WTIP public radio is a key partner. Grace noted a Code Red/opt‑in emergency alert system exists but stressed that it is opt‑in and requires public outreach to increase enrollment.

Board members asked for the slide deck and for more data. Commissioner Storick asked that the presentation materials be distributed to the board; Grace agreed. Commissioners also pressed for vaccination and disease surveillance numbers. Staff said county flu vaccination rates are typically between 30 and 40 percent and that measles cases have been reported in Minnesota though not in Cook County. On Lyme disease, staff said the county has seen an increase — "doubled" from a very low baseline — and stressed prevention messages such as daily tick checks and prompt removal to reduce transmission risk.

Staff also described recent training and professional development: Andrea attended the National Emergency Management Conference and multiple state trainings; the local emergency preparedness committee continues to meet bi‑monthly with representation from municipalities, health providers, schools, utilities and natural‑resource agencies.

The presentation concluded with staff asking the board to support distribution of outreach materials and to continue partnering with emergency management, the sheriff’s office and community organizations to exercise Code Red and other communications systems. Grace told the board staff would provide the slides and follow up on requested vaccination and disease‑rate details.

For more information the board was directed to the PHHS office; staff said magnets and handouts are available at PHHS and at partner locations and that they are scheduling distribution at community events this summer.