Health Officer named Flathead County’s ‘Incident Commander’

Flathead County’s Health Officer, Hillary Hanson, has been delegated to serve as the Incident Commander for coronavirus response efforts in the county.

According to a press release, the Flathead County Commissioners made the decision Friday morning as concerns surrounding the spread of the virus in the United States mount. As of Friday, there was still no confirmed case of coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Montana.

“In order to share information, communicate with the public, and coordinate any future response efforts, the Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD) has been working within the Incident Command System structure,” the press release states.

This is a formal system of management, which will allow the health department to serve as the lead agency in local COVID-19 response efforts. According to the press release, the health department also intends to expand the system to community partners to ensure consistent messaging and coordination.

“We have been working hard to prepare for COVID-19. While there are no cases in Flathead County, at this time, this delegation from the Commissioners provides us the ability to enhance our preparation,” Hanson said in a prepared statement. “In the event we have a local case, we can act quickly to identify and protect our community.”

The helath dpeartment has been collaborating with organization at the federal, state and county level including schools, healthcare, emergency response and law enforcement in preparation activities. They are “closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak, working with health providers to actively screen patients and prepare emergency protocols.”

For more information and for updates call 406-751-8188 go to https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/