Health Agency | Public Health

If you are a first responder or medical/health organization representative and need to talk to a public health representative regarding an emergency situation, such as multi-casualty incidents (MCIs), MHOAC requests, threats to the medical and public health system or medical and mutual aid requests, call 1-805-380-3411.

This is a 24/7 phone number for the EMS Duty Officer which functions as the MHOAC Program until the County Health Agency Department Operations Center (CHADOC) is activated.

You can also email [email protected] to submit HICS 251 Form Facility System Status Report, MHOAC Resource Requests and situational awareness updates.**Please follow up with a call to 1-805-380-3411 to confirm receipt of email**

For all other public health emergency calls, such as communicable disease, call:

• 1-805-781-5500 during regular business hours
• 1-805-781-4553 during weekends, after hours and holidays

If you are a medical/health organization representative and are experiencing an unusual event, you must notify the MHOAC to inform them of the situation.  An unusual event is defined as an incident that significantly impacts or threatens public health, environmental health or emergency medical services.  An unusual event may be self-limited or a precursor to an emergency system activation.  Criteria for an unusual event may include any of the following:

• The incident significantly impacts or is anticipated to impact public health or safety
• The incident disrupts or is anticipated to disrupt the public health and medical system;
• Resources are needed or anticipated to be needed beyond the capacity of your medical/health organization (including resources available through existing agreements)
  • Examples include Multi Casualty Disaster, Power Outage anticipated to last more than 3 hours, loss of HVAC system, loss of water supply, facility evacuation, activation of the Emergency Command Center for any reason, and staff shortages due to medical surge.

The MHOAC may also request medical/health organizations to complete a Situation Status Report for situational awareness purposes.

The report may be a Flash Report (short and simple) or a more detailed and complete Situation Status Report.

Contact the MHOAC at the phone number provided above and determine the best way to submit the SLO County HICS 251.

Contact the MHOAC and complete a Medical/Health Resource Request if you are a medical/health organization representative and are in need of a resource (or the need is imminent) from within or beyond San Luis Obispo county and you have exhausted all other resource options, such:

• Internal / corporate supply chain
• Mutual assistance agreements with other agencies
• Alternative resources are not available
• The resource is not available through the commercial supply chain / vendors

Contact the MHOAC at the phone number provided above and determine the best way to submit the SLO County Medical/Health Resource Request

The MHOAC is responsible for ensuring the operational effectiveness of 17 mandated functions:

1. Assessment of immediate medical needs
2. Coordination of disaster medical and health resources
3. Coordination of patient distribution and medical evaluations
4. Coordination with inpatient and emergency care providers
5. Coordination of out-of-hospital medical care providers
6. Coordination and integration with fire agencies personnel, resources, and emergency fire prehospital medical services
7. Coordination of providers of non-fire based prehospital emergency medical services
8. Coordination of the establishment of temporary pre-transport field treatment sites
9. Health surveillance and epidemiological analyses of community health status
10. Assurance of food safety
11. Management of exposure to hazardous agents
12. Provision or coordination of mental health services
13. Provision of medical and health public information and protective action recommendations
14. Provision or coordination of vector control services
15. Assurance of drinking water safety
16. Assurance of the safe management of liquid, solid, and hazardous wastes
17. Investigation and control of communicable disease

The MHOAC Program has 4 major activities to perform in order to ensure the operational effectiveness of the 17 mandated functions:

• Overall incident assessment to maintain situational awareness
• Overall interagency coordination with subject matter experts in the 17 functional areas
• Situation status reporting
• Resource request management for medical and health resources