Improving State Efforts to Prepare and Respond to Public Health Emergencies

Public health disasters, like natural or manmade disasters, have the potential to overwhelm a state’s emergency response capabilities resulting in widespread injury or loss of life. While public health threats may not cause physical damage to infrastructure, they can occur for prolonged and indeterminate periods of time affecting large segments of the population if not quickly contained. Improving State Efforts to Prepare and Respond to Public Health Emergencies provides actions items governors can take back to their states to improve preparedness for public health emergencies.