The 2026 Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) Cycle has begun. Applicants and their State Leads have attended this year’s Kick-Off Meeting and have started setting up their technical assistance calls with NACCHO. This year marks an important milestone for the program as all applicants—first-time applicants, applicants with expired recognition, and applicants with current recognition—will be using the Initial Goals and Measures Application.
Project Public Health Ready is a national recognition program that helps local health departments (LHDs) and regional health departments rigorously assess and strengthen their ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. Established in 2003 through a cooperative agreement between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program guides LHDs in building and evaluating preparedness capacity using goals and measures aligned with federal standards, including CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) capabilities and the Public Health Accreditation Board’s (PHAB) Standards and Measures. Grounded in a continuous improvement model, PPHR’s mission is to strengthen the nation’s public health preparedness infrastructure, and its vision is for LHDs to be fully prepared and seamlessly integrated into emergency response systems to protect and promote health during all emergencies.
What does it mean to be a part of a PPHR Cycle?
Being in a PPHR Cycle means that an applicant—typically a local, regional, or tribal health department—is actively participating in a structured, time-bound process to assess, document, and strengthen its public health preparedness capabilities. During a cycle, an applicant develops or refines plans, trainings, and exercises; compiles evidence demonstrating how they meet PPHR’s Goals and Measures; and engage with State Leads, NACCHO, and National Reviewers. The cycle culminates in a comprehensive evaluation of the department’s preparedness capacity, with successful applicants achieving PPHR recognition for their excellence in preparedness. Overall, participating in a PPHR Cycle signifies a health department’s commitment to continuous quality improvement and building a resilient, well-coordinated emergency preparedness program.
Why the Initial Application for Everyone?
Over the past year, the PPHR program has undergone an update to strengthen alignment with current public health preparedness best practices. This work also resulted in a refreshed set of Goals and Measures for the PPHR application, designed to better reflect today’s preparedness landscape, streamline the application process, and support continuous quality improvement. The PPHR Goals and Measures are nationally recognized standards that guide and evaluate local public health preparedness. They are designed to help health departments assess and enhance the quality of their preparedness planning and response efforts.
Because these updates represent a significant evolution of the criteria, it is essential that the program establish a new baseline across all applicants. Using the Initial Application for every jurisdiction—regardless of prior recognition status—ensures consistency, fairness, and a shared starting point for evaluating preparedness capacity under the revised framework.
Fee Structure
NACCHO will continue to honor the current fee schedule associated with each applicant’s status. Applicants whose recognition has not expired will pay the Re-Recognition Applicant rate, even though they will be completing the Initial Goals & Measures application. First-time applicants and applicants with expired recognition will pay the Initial Applicant rate.
Gap Analysis Update Coming Soon!
NACCHO is also in the process of updating the PPHR Gap Analysis Tool to align with the updated criteria for the initial and re-recognition applications. This revised tool will be available on the NACCHO website soon and will support applicants as they begin their review and planning processes for the upcoming cycles.
Stay tuned for further updates and thank you to all participating jurisdictions for your continued commitment to strengthening local public health preparedness and response.
Interested in becoming a PPHR applicant?
Click here to learn more about how you can demonstrate your health department’s excellence in preparedness by participating as an applicant for the upcoming 2027 Cycle.
Interested in a one-on-one connection or staying in the loop about program updates? Click here.
Also check out our blog series exploring program updates, sharing expert perspectives, and highlighting how PPHR can help strengthen your department’s preparedness.
