Crisis? Head to a church in Utah County

PROVO — In the event a public health emergency hits Utah County, officials say residents should go to church.

The Utah County Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to use church buildings in the county as emergency distribution sites for medication or immunizations.

Utah County becomes the second county to have such an arrangement with the LDS Church, following the lead of Davis County.

Under the agreement, the Utah County Health Department can utilize LDS Church buildings in the county in case of public health emergencies, such as a bioterrorism attack or an infectious disease outbreak.

There are an estimated 330 LDS Church buildings in Utah County. The nature of the emergency would dictate how many of the buildings would be needed, said Dwayne Liddell, the LDS Church's director of temporal affairs for Utah County and the southern part of the state.

Utah County Health Department staff would work with volunteers from congregations at the respective churches to administer medicine to the county's nearly 450,000 residents.

"It's an excellent opportunity to have facilities available in neighborhoods coordinated with the volunteers in these churches that do emergency preparedness planning themselves," said Dr. Joseph Miner, executive director of the Utah County Health Department.

Miner said the churches would be used as distribution sites only — not as shelters.

The county also has agreements with Provo, Alpine and Nebo school districts for the use of area schools in emergency situations. The health department has a similar arrangement with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Provo, Miner said.

"They all have some advantages," he said, citing the space available in large gymnasiums and auditoriums at schools.

The close proximity of LDS Church buildings to most neighborhoods in the county should make for effective distribution of medicine, Miner said.

The Davis County Health Department first pitched the idea of using LDS Church buildings as emergency medical distribution sites, said Richard Ebert Jr., LDS Church director of temporal affairs for northern Utah.

The Davis County Commission approved the agreement in May, and "several other counties" have approached church officials about doing the same, Ebert said.

"It's not something (the LDS Church is) pushing," he said, "but if we can be of assistance and be a partner in the community, we're glad to do it."

Utah County Commissioner Jerry Grover voiced his support for the agreement but added a tongue-in-cheek observation: "Let's hope there's not a bioterrorism attack on a Sunday."

"In case of a major disaster," Miner said with a grin, "I'm sure (the churches) would be available — even on Sunday."

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