RWJF report shows US emergency preparedness is improving: 5 takeaways

The 2016 National Health Security Preparedness Index, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, gives the United States a score of 6.7 on a 10-point scale for emergency preparedness — an increase of 3.6 percent since the Index was first released three years ago.

The National Health Security Preparedness Index was developed by the CDC in 2013. It analyzes more than 100 different measures of preparedness to develop a composite score of health security.

The measures are divided into six different domains, which are also given a score on the 10-point scale. The domains are:

  • Incident and information management
  • Health security surveillance
  • Countermeasure management
  • Environmental and occupational health
  • Community planning and engagement
  • Healthcare delivery

Although the U.S. has improved in the last few years, there is plenty of room for improvement. Highlighted below are five findings from the report.

1. As a nation, health security and preparedness varies from state to state, with a 36 percent "preparedness gap" between the highest and lowest-performing states.

2. Sixteen states are relatively unprepared to face public health disasters due to their geography, including many states in the Mountain West and Deep South.

3. The country's ability to test drinking water in a laboratory has decreased since 2013 — a change that has become more obvious due to recent media coverage of water contamination in Flint, Mich., and other parts of the U.S.

4. The nation's laboratory testing capabilities for infectious diseases such as Zika virus have improved, but are still not universally available across the U.S.

5. The incident and information management domain — which encompasses the ability to mobilize and manage resources during a health incident — scored 8.4 on the 10-point scale, making it the highest-scoring domain in the 2016 Index and a 2.4 percent improvement since the Index began in 2013.

"Health security is a shared responsibility across many different sectors and stakeholders — not just government, and not just healthcare," said Glen Mays, PhD, who leads a team of researchers who manage the Index. "By combining 134 measures from more than 50 different sources, we gain a more complete picture of preparedness as a whole that can inform future directions and priorities."

 

 

More articles on emergency preparedness:
Battle over money for Zika hurting public health emergency funds at the local level
Federal rule could change how hospitals prepare for emergencies: 7 things to know
8 tips on how the US can better prepare for outbreaks

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