The Trust for America’s Health has released its 10th annual report about public health preparedness. The goal of this 80 page report is to inform policymakers and the public about how ready our nation is for the next public health emergency. The report accomplishes this by examining preparedness measures on a state level.

Key findings from the report include:

• Some key findings from the report include: 29 states cut public health funding from fiscal years (FY) 2010-11 to 2011-12, with 23 of these states cutting funds for a second year in a row and 14 for three consecutive years;
• Only two states have met the national goal of vaccinating 90 percent of young children, ages 19-36 months, against whooping cough;
• 35 states and Washington, D.C. do not currently have complete climate change adaptation plans, which include planning for health threats posed by extreme weather events;
• 20 states do not mandate all licensed child care facilities to have a multi-hazard written evacuation plan; and
• 13 state public health laboratories report they do not have sufficient capacity to work five, 12-hour days for six to eight weeks in response to an infectious disease outbreak.

In addition to these findings, the report also has several recommendations designed to address gaps in emergency health preparedness.

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