City, County collaborating to enhance communications about H1N1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2009

For more information, please contact:
Danny Lopez, Communications Director, City of Bloomington, 349-CITY, lopezd@bloomington.in.gov

City, County collaborating to enhance communications about H1N1

Bloomington, IN - The City of Bloomington and the Monroe County government are teaming up to educate residents about H1N1, including providing tips on staying healthy, how to avoid spreading the flu and contact phone numbers for those seeking medical care.

Working in conjunction with the County Health Department, the City has posted periodic updates and information on upcoming public meetings on its web site, www.bloomington.in.gov/flu, and is offering a local information hotline, 812-339-H1N1 (4161), that residents can check to receive updates. Much of the same information can be found on the County Health Department web site, http://www.co.monroe.in.us/health, with the idea being that the multiple outlets can together reach a wide segment of County residents.

"The City and the County are doing everything we can to ensure that we get this important information out to as many people in the County as possible," said Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan. "The Health Department has done a terrific job of getting us important information, and I encourage everyone to continually check the hotline and web sites for updates."

Patrick Stoffers, President of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, reiterated the importance of the partnership between the City and County on this issue and suggested that updates would be made available as they are passed down from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.

"The CDC is constantly sending us new information that we'll need to relay to the public, and by working together with the City, we'll be able to quickly get residents everything they need to stay healthy this flu season," Stoffers said.

The City's web page includes links to various state and federal health agencies, a video on flu prevention and an option to subscribe to text updates from the CDC. Periodic updates will also be available on the City's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/cityofbloomington, and Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/citybloomington.

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