The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding for state, local, and territorial public health departments. Since 2002, PHEP has provided billions of dollars to health departments across the United States, allowing them to build and strengthen their preparedness capabilities and capacity when responding to public health threats.
NACCHO’s Public Health Preparedness program recently released a report entitled, Impact of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding on Local Public Health Capabilities, Capacity, and Response, illustrating the impact the PHEP program has had on local health department’s (LHD) ability to prepare for and respond to public health incidents. For this report, NACCHO interviewed the following six LHDs about their responses to real public health threat incidents:
- Boston Public Health Commission
- Knox County (OH) Health Department
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Public Heath – Seattle & King County
- Snohomish (WA) Health District
- Tri-County (CO) Health Department
Findings from the report indicate that at the local level, PHEP funding has enabled LHDs and their partners to build preparedness capacity and infrastructure, resulting in communities that are more resilient and prepared. For example, many LHDs use PHEP funding to support dedicated preparedness staff members who work with community organizations such as hospitals, public safety, and municipal partners to develop all-hazards response plans, and conduct trainings and exercises. Other LHDs have utilized PHEP funding to establish and maintain systems that enable early detection of diseases, rapid information sharing and public notification, and accountability for emergency response systems.
Click here to read the full report, which also includes stories from the field from those interviewed.
