Project Public Health Ready, PPHR, is a national recognition program that provides local health departments (LHDs) with a rigorous means for evaluating their capacity and capability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. 

This program was created in 2003 through a cooperative agreement between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help LHDs build and evaluate their preparedness capacity through a set of goals and measures that align with federal standards, including the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) capabilities and the Public Health Accreditation Board’s (PHAB) Standards and Measures. 

PPHR’s mission is essential: to strengthen the nation’s public health preparedness infrastructure by building the capacity and capability of LHDs—to plan, train, and exercise using a continuous improvement model.  PPHR’s vision is to have LHDs fully prepared and seamlessly integrated into the emergency response system— to protect and promote public health during all emergencies. 

NACCHO regularly updates the program’s goals and measures to reflect current federal guidance and best practices. Late last summer, NACCHO shared newly updated PPHR application and guidance materials, which reflected lessons learned by the fields of emergency management and public health from recent responses.

NACCHO will host an engaging session, Beyond the Checklist: Building Resilient Communities with PPHR, at the 2026 Preparedness Summit. Attendees will learn more about the program including recent changes and get a look at updated materials that debuted in the fall and learn how to join their peers in future cohorts.

Follow along in this blog series exploring the program updates, sharing expert perspectives, and highlighting how PPHR can help strengthen your department’s preparedness.

For more information on PPHR, check out the PPHR webpage. 

Note: This post was updated in March 2026 to reflect completed program updates.