Washington, DC, March 16, 2023 — The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, is pleased to announce that eight agencies from across the United States have been recognized by NACCHO’s Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) for their ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. These eight agencies received PPHR re-recognition status.

PPHR is a criteria-based training and recognition program established by NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help local health departments (LHDs) develop core public health and emergency preparedness competencies. The PPHR program is an intensive 18-month process that provides LHDs the structure to build training and preparedness capacities using a continuous quality improvement model. Those who successfully complete the program are PPHR recognized for five years.

Since 2004, more than 500 LHDs have been recognized as meeting all the PPHR requirements individually or working collaboratively as a region.

The following agencies received PPHR re-recognition status:

• Florida Department of Health in Seminole County (Florida)
• City of El Paso Department of Public Health (Texas)
• Ottawa County Department of Public Health (Michigan)
• Cabarrus Health Alliance (North Carolina)
• Tennessee Department of Health Northeast Region
• Tennessee Department of Health South Central Region
• El Paso County Public Health (Colorado)
• Hennepin County Public Health Department (Minnesota)

All recognized LHDs now have a written comprehensive all-hazards response plan that aligns with the highest national and federal standards. Through the process, LHDs had an opportunity to build partnerships with local, state, and federal leaders, community response partners, and other stakeholders; these partnerships facilitate collaboration and team building across the entire health department.

Additional information about PPHR can be found online.

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.