Your view: Community supported

The Board of Directors, administrator and staff of the New Madrid County Health Department extend a sincere "Thank You" to the following agencies, organizations, businesses and individuals who assisted with the SNS training exercise on Aug. 25. With your help, the exercise was a very successful event and underscores the fact that our county can accomplish any task when we work as a team.

The state evaluators identified the No. 1 strength of the New Madrid County exercise, community involvement. The following is a list of the New Madrid community that demonstrates how our community is involved and functions as a team.

New Madrid County agencies: Presiding and associate commissioners; county clerk and staff; county assessor and staff; county sheriff's department and reserve officers; county ambulance district; county Emergency Management Agency.

New Madrid City: Mayor, city manager, city clerk, city police department and reserve officers, city fire department, city water department, city street department.

Schools (used as the actual exercise location): New Madrid County R-1 Schools; New Madrid Elementary School staff, students and parents; Matthews Elementary School.

School organizations and clubs: Eagle football team members; Eagle volleyball team members; Eagle cheerleader squad; Junior ROTC; VICA Club; Vo-Tech students; Fellowship of Christian Athletes; National Honor Society.

Local pharmacies: Davis Pharmacy, Butler Drugs.

Local businesses: A.E.C.I. employees; Noranda employees; SEMO Health Network staff, nurses and interpreters; VNA staff and nurses; Office Max; Heartland Office Supply; Show Me Rental; Central States Coca-Cola Jackson Sales Center; Wal-Mart Stores; Sam's Club; Rebecca Sharp Catering.

Local organizations: New Madrid Men's Golf Association, New Madrid Ladies' Golf Association, New Madrid Lady Eagles Auxiliary.

Local residents: Numerous interested citizens from New Madrid and Scott counties who participated as volunteers to experience first-hand the local health department's goal of becoming more prepared to respond to natural or manmade disasters.

The exercise also presented an opportunity that allowed the local health departments in the Bootheel to work together as a team. With the help and assistance of the administrators or directors and staff of the following counties, the exercise was staffed to test the dispensing time lines of every citizen within a 72-hour period: Mississippi County Health Department, Scott County Health Department, Pemiscot County Health Department and Dunklin County Health Department.