Emergency Preparedness and Response

A1. Develop, implement, and maintain written policies and procedures to activate and alert public health personnel and response partners during an emergency.

A2. Develop, exercise, and update emergency preparedness and response plans based on identified risk assessments.

A3. Establish the response and recovery role of public health in incidents and events, in collaboration with partners.

A4. Inform staff and appropriate partners of public health roles in response plans.

A5. Train staff and provide opportunities to exercise the response plan.

A6. Collaborate with community-based organizations and partners to provide and participate in training events and exercises.

A7. Evaluate and continuously improve the response of the governmental public health system and the health department to incidents, using after-action reports and improvement plans (AAR-IPs).

B1. Build and maintain relationships with the public and partners to establish trust with governmental public health.

B2. Convene cross-sector partners to identify strategies or initiatives for community-based organizations and governmental partners.

B3. Collaboratively assess and plan for the considerations of access and functional needs of at-risk populations.

C1. Assure staff are adequately trained on emergency preparedness and response competencies and plans in the incident command system.

C2. Assure leadership of governmental public health is trained and equipped to lead response and recovery activities.

C3. Assess the scope and responsibility for public health response internally and externally.

C4. Governmental Public Health participates and partners with regional Health Care Preparedness Coalitions, or other similarly positioned coalitions.

D1. Activate and alert public health response personnel using established communication systems.

D2. Operate within, and as necessary lead, the established incident command system according to the role of public health.

D3. Convene public health partners to identify strategies for governmental public health response to incidents, and to assess the need for community incident response efforts.

D4. Coordinate with local, state, Tribal, and federal emergency managers and other first responders, health care coalitions, and private sector and nonprofit partners.

E1. Identify priorities or essential public health functions and the staff, resources, and facilities needed for continuity of operations during an incident.

E2. Collaborate with public health leadership and staff to clarify roles and responsibilities during a continuity incident.

E3. Assure administrative and budget processes and systems are documented, tested, and evaluated to assure public health can rapidly receive and use funds; procure resources, materials, and supplies; execute contracts; and hire personnel during incidents and events.

E4. Conduct training and exercises for public health leadership and staff on both plans.

F1. Convene public health and community partners to jointly strategize response actions.

F2. Conduct community engagement activities to promote Whole Community planning, response, and recovery.

G1. Assess the need for incident recovery efforts for communities, jurisdictions, and governmental public health staff.

G2. Implement prioritized strategies or initiatives to support recovery from incidents.

G3. Collaborate when feasible with disaster behavioral health specialists, mental health professionals, and/or partners in recovery activities.

G4. Assess the behavioral health needs of and implement strategies to support public health staff recovery following an incident or event.

H1. Assess the legal and statutory process for issuing and enforcing state and local emergency health orders.

H2. Issue and enforce emergency health orders, as necessary and appropriate, inclusive of prevention or control of infectious diseases and environmental health risks.

H3. Develop, implement, and maintain a situation and information sharing infrastructure which may receive notice of emergencies on a 24/7 basis.

H4. Provide information before, during, and after a public health emergency per Communications capability standards and crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) principles.

H5. Access and utilize a Laboratory Response Network (LRN) Reference laboratory for biological agents and an LRN chemical laboratory at a level designated by CDC.

• Public Health Preparedness Consultants
• Emergency Preparedness for Community Health Boards and Tribal Health Departments, on SharePoint: Please reach out to your public health preparedness consultant for the location of this site.