M3.4 - Public Health Preparedness Policy

public health preparedness

• planning for responding to acute events

• public health “emergencies”: fit into four basic categories

  • intentional or accidental release of CBRN agents (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear)

  • natural epidemics or pandemic

  • natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes)

  • manmade environmental disaster

threats to public health 1

• chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents

  • chlorine leak (too much in school swimming pool, school had to evacuate)

  • anthrax (during 9/11: In the weeks after the September 11 attacks, letters containing anthrax spores (a dangerous bacteria) were mailed to media offices and U.S. senators, the letters caused panic because people feared more large-scale biological attacks)

  • Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident (people in the area initially neglected it)

threats to public health 2

• naturally occurring disease threats

  • H1N1 (strain of the flu that caused an outbreak in 2009)

  • severe acute respiratory syndrome (a strain of covid that was an outbreak in 2002-2004)

threats to public health 3

• natural disaster

  • hurricanes

  • earthquakes

  • wild fires

threats to public health 4

• manmade environmental disasters (human error)

  • oil spill

public health preparedness policy

• the US preparedness infrastructure did not truly take shape until after the attacks of September 11, 2001

• monitor in case of emergencies:

  • establishment of the federal office of home security and the homeland security within the white house

  • creation of the department of homeland security

• agencies and offices are most directly linked to public health preparedness policy at the federal level

  • office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response

  • centers for disease control and prevention (monitor disease prevalence in other countries)

  • national institutes of health

  • the food and drug administration

  • department of agriculture

  • department of justice, federal bureau of investigation

  • department of defense

• these agencies and offices are charged with enforcing many statutes, regulations, and policy guidance documents that form the foundation of public health preparedness

public health preparedness federalism

• public health preparedness requires cooperation among multiple levels of government

• “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (10th amendment)

• states have responsibility for developing their own emergency preparedness plans, and all have some level of planning and preparedness training in place

  • state is responsible to create their own plan because they know their conditions better

• focus on:

  • unique threats

  • challenges (money)

  • assets

  • populations specific to particular jurisdictions

areas of focus

• comprehensive disease surveillance

• workforce

• resilience and community planning

• countermeasure

• chemical and radiological preparedness

• public and private partnership