County health department earns Project Public Health Ready recognition

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment announced it has received Project Public Health Ready recognition from the National Association of County and City Health Officials in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Charlie Hunt, director of DHE, introduced Steve Mayhew, preparedness program manager, who described the recognition as a national preparedness validation based on an extensive application and documentation process. Mayhew said the application required linking hundreds of documents to more than 325 criteria and that the county submitted a 55‑page application package. He said fewer than 600 of the roughly 3,000 U.S. health departments have this recognition and that Johnson County is the first department in Kansas to apply and receive it.

Mayhew said the recognition verifies that the county’s preparedness plans, workforce development, after‑action improvement processes and five‑year training plans meet national standards; he credited DHE staff and volunteers for preparing the submission and highlighted continuity with existing public‑health accreditation work.

The board congratulated the team and thanked staff for the work required to reach the recognition.