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December 20, 2002
The Hawaii Department of Health’s Bioterrorism Program
welcomes its newest staff members, Allison Taguchi, who will be the new
Public Information Specialist IV, and Darcie Yukimura, the Public
Information Specialist III. Both Allison and Darcie started work with
the Department of Health this month, under the supervision of Janice
Okubo, Communications Director.
Allison Taguchi, the new Public Information Specialist IV, was born
and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Recently, she has spent over 3 years in
public relations while working in San Diego and Los Angeles,
California. Her last position was with the American Heart Association
as the Director of Health Initiatives. Allison has a Master’s
Degree in International Relations with a concentration in International
Security from USD, and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of
Hawaii at Manoa.
Darcie Yukimura, the new Public Information Specialist III, was born
and raised in Lihue, Kauai. A graduate of the University of Arizona,
she obtained a B.S. in Communication and a Master’s Degree in
Public Health. Public health communications has been her focus with
positions at the Arizona Cancer Center and Arizona Smokers’
Helpline.
Allison and Darcie will assist Janice Okubo in implementing a
statewide communications and public outreach plan for bioterrorism
issues. Currently the Communications Office is working in conjunction
with local agencies and hospitals to implement a Communications Plan
for smallpox vaccination of public healthcare response teams, as was
requested by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Both Allison and Darcie have been hired under a $9 million federal
grant received from the CDC to conduct a Bioterrorism Preparedness
Program. The Bioterrorism Preparedness Program works with county,
state, & federal organizations to prepare the state for response to
acts of bioterrorism or other public health emergencies resulting from
infectious disease.
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