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PAHPAIA

Protecting National Public Health and Health Care Infrastructure for the Next Disaster

Healthcare Ready’s report to Congress, Protecting National Public Health and Health Care Infrastructure for the Next Disaster, calls for greater federal oversight and interagency communication and coordination in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. It also calls for greater funding for public health preparedness and response programs, so local jurisdictions, public health, and federal programs have the resources they need to meaningfully work with communities and incorporate an equity lens in their work.

The report makes specific, straightforward recommendations to Congress and federal agencies to help ensure that the nation is prepared and equipped to respond to the next public health emergency. The recommendations are based on an evaluation of current preparedness and response programs and activities authorized by the Public Health Service Act and later amendments. Launched in 2019, the evaluation includes lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as prior public health emergencies.

As outlined in the National Response Framework, and made starkly more apparent through the nation’s response to the pandemic, achieving national preparedness requires a “whole community” approach, with extensive coordination and collaboration across government and private sector entities (including for-profit businesses, nonprofit, and voluntary organizations), as well as the range of sectors that undergird the delivery of health care and public health services.

Report to Congress · 2023 Protecting National Public Health and Health Care Infrastructure for the Next Disaster

Read the report

The full report & recommendations

An evaluation of federal preparedness and response programs authorized under the Public Health Service Act, with targeted recommendations for Congress and HHS.

Download full report ↓

PDF

BriefRecommendations to US Department of Health and Human Services↓

PDF

BriefRecommendations to Congress↓

Findings

Lessons learned

Drawn from COVID-19 and prior public health emergencies: four areas the nation must address before the next disaster.

Improve communication and coordination

Across all stakeholders in preparedness and response, including public and private sector entities; federal agencies involved in healthcare preparedness and response; and federally funded programs and/or offices and recipients (or subrecipients) of federal cooperative agreements. Efforts in this area must include defining roles and responsibilities across agencies and programs, improving bidirectional information sharing, and strengthening partnerships across agencies and sectors.

Strengthen accountability

Set targets for all program goals and benchmarks for all standards of Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Cooperative Agreements and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreements; and ensure monitoring and evaluation of progress with transparent reporting of results.

Apply an equity lens to preparedness and response

Enhance community engagement; address health-related social needs; and conduct research that will build the capacity of resources that support individuals with access and functional needs.

Increase funding for federal preparedness and response

Strengthen national and regional capabilities, help achieve better outcomes after disasters, and contribute to ensuring our nation’s health security against future public health threats.

Watch

In the years since the 2013 Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPRA), which amended the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize federal preparedness and response programs and activities, the ASPR HPP Cooperative Agreement, CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement, regional disaster demonstration sites, and other initiatives have markedly advanced the nation’s preparedness and response capabilities.

Continued investments and progress toward these capabilities are necessary to achieve better outcomes after disasters, and to ensure our national security amidst future threats to public health. Implementation of the recommendations in this report will help to build public will for a strong preparedness system, create more effective and efficient preparedness systems and, importantly, help us meet the needs of all Americans—especially populations that are at greater risk of being disproportionately affected by disasters.

This report was written by Healthcare Ready under a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a requirement of Section 210 of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019 Public Law No. 116-22.

For comments please email alerts@healthcareready.org.