Power of preparedness : prepare your health

Personal preparedness; pandemic planning; policy & partenerships; public health responseEvery September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with 3,000 global, national, regional, and local governments, as well as private and public health institutions, supports emergency preparedness efforts and encourages Americans to take action before, during, and after an emergency. Every community in the United States should be ready to respond to an infectious disease outbreak, chemical or radiological release, or natural disaster.This year CDC\u2019s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response is highlighting Prepare Your Health. Each week focuses on the roles individuals, state and local public health, and CDC play in creating resilient health communities.Week 1: Personal Health Preparedness. Every healthy decision you make and preparedness action you take supports community resilience, and improves your family\u2019s ability to respond to a public health emergency. Be prepared with nonperishable food, safe water, basic supplies, and the personal items you\u2019ll need to protect your health until help arrives.Week 2: Pandemic planning. We remember. We prepare. In the 100 years since the 1918 flu pandemic, CDC has used science, surveillance, and service to improve influenza preparedness. Although pandemics occur infrequently, CDC works year-round with its partners, including state and local public health departments, to detect, prevent, and prepare for the next pandemic.Week 3: Policy and Partnerships. Every response is local. Planning and preparedness for all types of public health emergencies, including pandemic influenza, is vital to keeping communities safe. States and communities are developing preparedness plans and strengthening their ability to respond. CDC plays a key role in getting states and local jurisdictions prepared for threats to personal and public health.Week 4: Public Health Response. 15 years of a dedicated EOC. When an emergency happens, CDC must respond quickly and to scale. When response efforts fail, outbreaks become epidemics and natural disasters become settings for illness and injury. CDC\u2019s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) brings together experts and state-of-the-art technology to detect and respond to public health emergencies, like the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009.NPM_BANNER_HOMEPAGE-01.png201