One lesson from recent events is that emergencies happen. And happen often. From disease outbreaks to natural disasters to man-made crises, the stakes are high: Americans face serious health risks and even death with increasing regularity. Therefore, as a nation, it’s critical to ask, “Are we prepared?”
To help answer that question, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, 2019. The report examines the nation’s ability to respond to public health emergencies, tracks progress and areas in need of improvement, and suggests actionable steps states can take to strengthen their emergency readiness.
For the first time, Ready or Not groups states and the District of Columbia into one of three tiers based on their performance across the 10 indicators. This year, 17 states scored in the top tier, 20 and the District of Columbia placed in the middle tier, and 13 were in the bottom tier. By gathering together timely data on all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the report assists states in benchmarking their performance against comparable jurisdictions. To help states track their own progress, TFAH will strive to maintain continuity among the indicators tracked in this edition of the report for the next several years.
View the full report to learn more.
