Most communities in Maine have no public health department. We do have a Local Health Officer (LHO) who is responsible for handling day-to-day health concerns. But if a major health issue were to arise, who would the LHO call upon to assist him? In many of the communities we serve, we are establishing Memoranda of Understanding with the towns to be their front line staffing option when a vaccination clinic, or other such service center is required.

The basic assumptions behind our being public health first responders is that such an incident would likely keep local health providers busy tending to those who have already fallen ill. Our volunteer staff could easily handle most situations under the authority of the LHO.