NACCHO’s Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) has recognized eight local and regional health agencies for their ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. Seven agencies from Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee earned PPHR recognition for the first time, and one agency from 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. NACCHO extends its congratulations to the following agencies for their exceptional accomplishment:

• Berrien County Health Department, MI
• Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, MI
• Florida Department of Health in Collier County
• Florida Department of Health in Franklin County
• Florida Department of Health in Lafayette County
• Henrico Health District, VA (Re-Recognition)
• Louisiana Office of Public Health Region 8
• Shelby County Health Department, TN

PPHR is a competency-based training and recognition program that assesses preparedness and assists LHDs, or groups of LHDs working collaboratively as a region, to respond to emergencies. It builds preparedness capacity and capability through a continuous quality improvement model. The PPHR criteria are national standards for local public health preparedness and are updated annually to incorporate the most recent federal initiatives. Each of the three PPHR project goals—all-hazards preparedness planning, workforce capacity development, and demonstration of readiness through exercises or real events—has a comprehensive list of standards that must be met in order to achieve PPHR recognition.