ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Belmont County officials held a "swine flu summit" of sorts, a closed-door meeting involving every county department that may have to deal with the pandemic, if it hits this area.

They decided the health department will take the lead, and all others will follow.

Among those are the three hospitals in the county--East Ohio Regional, Barnesville and Belmont Community.

So far, there are no suspected cases in Belmont County.

But officials say if you live in Belmont County and you should start to experience flu symptoms, it's essential to call your local hospital first, rather than just walking in.

They say each hospital will set their own protocol, so they can confine the potential virus to a limited area.

"They might have them come to a certain part of the hospital," explains Rob Sproul, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Belmont County. "They may even have a nurse go out to the person's home. They're trying to keep a contaminated person from walking into the emergency room."

"We could have to activate," says Health Department Administrator Jim King. "Whether this will happen and to what degree, we have no idea. A lot of people travel to Mexico for vacations and they can bring this back. Right now, all the confirmed cases in the United States have originated in Mexico."

So what would happen if the H-1-N-1 virus were to hit the Belmont Correctional Institution, where where are several thousand inmates?

They say they would shelter in place, and the health department would deliver anti-viral medication to them.

They say the prison is like a self-sufficient city, and they would attempt to contain the spread to the rest of the community by staying in.

In the meantime, health department officials say they are being deluged with calls, and they offer a better alternative for information.

The Ohio H-1-N-1 Hotline is 1-866-800-1404.

They say it is staffed by real people--not an automated voicemail--who listen and answer questions....Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.