COVID-19 EMERGENCY RESPONSE
The City of Henderson took extraordinary measures
to help slow the spread of the virus and ensure
that our residents, healthcare providers, and first
responders remain as safe as practical. The steps
included adopting recommended best practices and
intensive efforts to obtain the resources needed to
combat the Pandemic.
During this period, the City made it a priority to
expand its communication with all City employees
and residents providing up-to-date information on
suggested precautionary measures and information
about what the City is planning for the near future. A
call center was established to answer any questions
or concerns from Henderson residents and to ensure
the consistency of all public messaging. Social
media sites and City websites consistently provided
updated information to the public as the depth and
scope of the emergency unfolded.
The City utilized data published by the Center for
Disease Control (CDC) to accurately assess and
prepare to deploy resources to our most vulnerable
populations as needed during the crisis. Figure
2 provides a visual representation of areas in
Henderson with highly vulnerable populations.
According to the CDC, social vulnerability refers
to the resilience of communities when confronted
by external stresses on human health, stresses
such as natural or human-caused disasters, or
disease outbreaks. Reducing social vulnerability
can decrease both human suffering and economic
loss. CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index uses 15 U.S.
census variables at the census tract level to assist
communities when responding and recovering
from disaster . These variables include datasets that
represent socioeconomic status, age, race/ethnicity,
access to vehicular transportation and type of
housing development.2
The City worked to ensure first responders were as
safe as possible and that appropriate numbers of
supplies were available, distributing those supplies,
as necessary. The City instituted a standard
check-in procedure along with guidance regarding
8 TOGETHER WE CAN: A PRIMER FOR RECOVERY
potential exposure to all first responders, expanded
fit testing for N95 respirators, and enhanced training
on personal protective equipment (PPE) usage for
appropriate personnel. These measures, combined
with daily precautions, helped to ensure our first
responders could perform their duties with little
interruption during the crisis.
Figure 2: Social Vulnerability for Henderson Census
Tracts. Percentile ranking values range from 0 to 100,
with higher values indicating greater vulnerability.
The darker blue areas on the map indicate areas in
Henderson with the highest social vulnerability.
The City encouraged staff to practice recommended
social separation by arranging for telecommuting
for all feasible roles in the organization. For those
who could not work remotely, the City asked each
division manager to ensure groups are kept to a
minimum with sanitizing supplies readily available
as well as constant reminders for employees to
practice the recommended hygiene practices. The
City made additional paid leave available to ensure
all personnel could practice social separation with
minimal impact to annual and sick leave.
The City has been in regular contact with the rest
of the Southern Nevada Emergency Management
Team through various channels to assure up-to-date
situational awareness. The Emergency Operations
Center (EOC) created a standard daily schedule of
events and briefings, including multiple meetings
with City leadership, EOC section chiefs and
1. Falcone, M., Saladino, C., Brown, W.E. (2020). COVID-19: Projected Job Loss in Mountain West States. The Data Hub at The Lincy Institute & Brookings Mountain West. Economic Develop-ment
& Workforce Fact Sheet No. 17, 1-2. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/bmw_lincy_econdev/19
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry/ Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program. Social Vulnerability Index 2018
Database NV. data-and-tools-download.html. Accessed April 2020.