Another Sneak Peek into PPHR Application Updates
Sep 23, 2025 | Leila Blais
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MyNACCHO LoginThis is the fifth in a series of blog posts diving into Project Public Health Ready. Click here to view the first post in the series, “Getting to Know PPHR.”
NACCHO’s Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) team is back with another sneak peek at the updates coming to the PPHR application this fall. Today’s post look into Goals 2 and 3.
Just like changes to Goal 1, which were outlined in the previous blog post, Goals 2 and 3 have received a major refresh. Thanks to thoughtful feedback from stakeholders, Goals 2 and 3 are now more streamlined, easier to follow, and designed to guide applicants step-by-step through the preparedness journey. Think of it as a smoother roadmap to success.
What was once Goal 2: Workforce Capacity Development is now:
- Goal 5: Prepare the public health workforce for response and recovery operations.
Goal 5 focuses on how applicants prepare their workforce to support health department response and recovery efforts. Applicants will outline the trainings provided to staff for preparedness, response, and recovery activities—along with who leads those trainings and how they are delivered. They’ll also be asked to explain how training needs are identified and when certain topics take precedence over others.
What was once Goal 3: Quality Improvement through Exercises and Responses and a Comprehensive Exercise Plan is now:
- Goal 6: Conduct continuous quality improvement of preparedness, response, and recovery plans, processes, and systems.
Goal 6 asks applicants to reflect on how they and their staff learn and make improvements through either real-world incidents or exercises. Applicants are encouraged to review both their implemented and planned improvements to response plans, processes, or systems. In doing so, they’ll also consider how they collaborated with partners, engaged peers, and used these insights to strengthen future exercises and build overall preparedness capacity.
As noted in the prior blog post, each goal in the application is designed to strengthen public health preparedness by encouraging applicants to evaluate their agency’s current capabilities and level of readiness for emergencies and disasters. As applicants move through each criteria element, they are naturally prompted to reflect on their existing plans—considering how current and comprehensive those plans are, and where there may be opportunities for improvement.
Look out for the updated PPHR application and materials launching this fall.
Follow along in this blog series exploring the program updates, sharing expert perspectives, and highlighting how PPHR can help strengthen your department’s preparedness.
For more information on PPHR, check out the PPHR webpage.
