2015 PPHR Recipients at the 2016 NACCHO Preparedness Summit

In the past year, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) recognized 34 local and regional public health agencies for their ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. Six agencies from Florida, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia earned PPHR recognition for the first time, while 29 agencies from Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Virginia achieved PPHR re-recognition status. PPHR recognition reflects an agency’s dedication necessary to complete the application process and commitment to public health preparedness. Click to learn more on how to having your health department’s preparedness efforts recognized in next year’s selection process!

NACCHO extends its congratulations to the following 34 agencies for reaching this exceptional accomplishment:

• Tri-County Health Department, CO
• Florida Department of Health Lee County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in DeSoto County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Jefferson County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Leon County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Levy County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Madison County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Manatee County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in St. Lucie County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Taylor County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Volusia County, FL
• Florida Department of Health in Wakulla County, FL
• Broome County Health Department, NY
• Erie County Department of Health, NY
• Allentown Health Bureau, PA
• Bethlehem Health Bureau, PA
• Chester County Health Department, PA
• Philadelphia Department of Public Health, PA
• West Tennessee Region-Tennessee Department of Health, TN
• Fort Bend County Health and Human Services, TX
• Central Shenandoah Health District, VA
• Chickahominy Health District, VA
• Hampton-Peninsula Health District, VA
• Lord Fairfax Health District, VA
• Loudoun Health District, VA
• Mount Rogers Health District, VA
• Norfolk Department of Public Health, VA
• Piedmont Health District, VA
• Portsmouth Health District, VA
• Rappahannock Area Health District, VA
• Three Rivers Health District, VA

PPHR is a competency-based training and recognition program that assesses preparedness and assists local health departments, or groups of local health departments working collaboratively as a region, to respond to emergencies. The initiative strives to build preparedness capacity and capability through a continuous quality improvement model. The PPHR criteria is comprised of nationally recognized standards for local public health preparedness, and is updated annually to incorporate the most recent federal guidelines.

To receive PPHR recognition, candidates undergo rigorous evaluation using a comprehensive list of criteria testing their competency across three goals—all-hazards preparedness planning, workforce capacity development, and demonstration of readiness through exercises or real events. Once an agency achieves PPHR recognition this status lasts for five years.

Agencies may apply for re-recognition as long as their status has not yet expired and are again assessed according to the three goals outlined above. Additionally, the re-recognition process evaluates the agency’s demonstrable commitment to ongoing improvement in the five years since first attaining PPHR status. The re-recognition process aims to highlight public health departments continuously striving to attain the highest level of quality across all emergency preparedness efforts through regular improvements based on evaluation of past exercises, real events, and other activities.

NACCHO extends its congratulations to all of this year’s PPHR recipients, whether achieving recognition for the first time or being re-recognized for a continued dedication to upholding the highest level of quality across preparedness planning, practice and response capacity. These 34 agencies join the esteemed ranks of over 450 jurisdictions, represented in the map pictured above, already covered by a PPHR recognized agency throughout the program’s 14 year tenure. The annual growth of this cohort further demonstrate the significant value added by PPHR. An effort only made possible through the collaboration of PPHR applicants, reviewers, NACCHO staff, and other supporting partners, all of whom contribute to a stronger local, state, and national resiliency, better protecting all Americans from future risks, no matter how great or small.

PPHR Staff will be hosting a lunch time Meet and Greet and learning session at NACCHO’s 2017 Preparedness Summit. Please stay tuned for a more detailed announcement to be featured soon in a post on this blog page and further promoted via NACCHO Facebook and Twitter.

For more information on Project Public Health Ready, including how to get involved as a future applicant and/or reviewer, please visit NACCHO’s PPHR webpage or contact our team directly via [email protected].