Washington, DC, March 31, 2026 - The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s over 3,300 local health departments, will hold the 2026 Preparedness Summit from April 13-16 at the Baltimore Convention Center. More than 1,600 public health experts, healthcare leaders, and emergency management specialists are expected to attend, in-person and virtually. This year’s theme, “Protecting Our Communities: State and Local Preparedness in Action,” will address the need for building stronger cross-sector partnerships at the state and local level to better coordinate timely emergency response efforts, especially during a time where priorities at the federal level continue to evolve. The Preparedness Summit is the first and longest-running national conference on public health preparedness, and aims to enhance the nation’s capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
This year’s plenary sessions include:
Monday, April 13: Stronger Together: Evolving Models of State and Local Collaboration
Wednesday, April 15: Staying Alert: New Models for State and Local Situational Awareness
Thursday, April 16: At the Ready: Stockpiling in Your State
The Summit will include several virtual and in-person general sessions with more than 400 guest speakers representing federal government agencies, state and local health departments, academic institutions, public health organizations, and private sector companies. The sessions will include discussions on the 2026 FIFA World Cup; radiation and chemical emergency preparedness; community resilience; pandemic response and recovery; Medical Reserve Corps; emergency operations, planning, and management; healthcare; behavioral health; impacts of extreme weather; impacts of wildfires and smoke; monitoring and data analysis; and hurricane response and recovery.
The “Preparedness 101” track is a new feature for attendees who are interested in understanding core concepts and key terminology within public health preparedness. The sessions will focus on crisis leadership, volunteer management, preparedness planning development, and risk communications.
To register for the Preparedness Summit for either in-person or virtual attendance and to learn more about the event, visit www.preparednesssummit.org.
Media registration: Members of the media who are interested in covering the Preparedness Summit are encouraged to register in advance. For press credentials or additional information please contact LeAnn Harley at [email protected].
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About the Preparedness Summit
The Preparedness Summit is the first and longest-running national conference on public health preparedness. Since its beginning in 2007, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has taken a leadership role in convening a wide array of partners to participate in the Summit; presenting new research findings, sharing tools and resources, and providing a variety of opportunities for attendees to learn how to implement model practices that enhance the nation’s capabilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s over 3,300 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.
