WASHINGTON, March 27, 2025
Special Feature Examines the Threat of H5N1 Bird Flu and How to Guard Against Its Spread
WASHINGTON, March 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --�A new report assessing national and state preparedness to protect residents' health during emergencies found that 29 states placed in the middle or low-performance tier for emergency preparedness, and that all states can do more to strengthen their readiness.
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During 2024, the nation experienced a significant number of public health emergencies, ranging from infectious disease outbreaks to weather-related disasters. These emergencies demonstrate the urgent need for sustained investment in public health infrastructure and emergency preparedness, both of which are critical to the nation's overall health and national and economic security.
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Ready or Not 2025: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, released today by Trust for America's Health (TFAH), measures states' readiness for a range of health emergencies based on 10 indicators, including healthcare system readiness, state public health funding, public health laboratory surge capacity, employee access to paid time off, and community water system safety.
The report, now in its 22nd year of publication, places states and the District of Columbia into three performance tiers for emergency preparedness. This year's report placed 21 states and DC in the high-performance tier, 16 states in the middle-performance tier, and 13 states in the low-performance tier.
High-Performance Tier � 21 states & DC
CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, ID, MA, MD, ME, MO, NC, NH, NJ, OH, PA, RI, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI
Middle-Performance Tier � 16 states
AL, AR, AZ, CA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, ND, NE, NY, OK, SC, TN, TX
Low-Performance Tier � 13 states
AK, HI, LA, MI, MN, MS, MT, NV, NM, OR, SD, WV, WY
The report provides federal, state, and local policymakers and health officials with benchmarks and policy recommendations that outline how jurisdictions can strengthen their emergency preparedness.
"Strengthening communities for public health emergencies requires sustained investment, planning, and multi-sector cooperation," said J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE, President and CEO of Trust for America's Health. "Recent public health emergencies, from measles and tuberculosis outbreaks to wildfires and extreme heat, demonstrate the need for consistent investment in public health infrastructure and workforce and programs that support health in every community � because a healthy community will be more resilient when emergencies happen."
The report includes a special feature on H5N1 bird flu, including recommendations from public health experts on steps the country should take to protect against the outbreak evolving into a pandemic. The feature discusses the importance of extensive testing programs and collaborative efforts including ways in which public health officials are working with partners in the agriculture and veterinary medicine sectors to control the outbreak.
New to the report this year is a performance indicator measuring avoidable mortality�deaths caused by preventable or treatable conditions. This indicator measures deaths before age 75 that could be prevented through effective public health measures or averted with timely healthcare interventions. Higher rates of avoidable mortality indicate gaps in public health and healthcare systems, which can weaken a community's ability to respond to and recover from public health emergencies.
Overall, the report finds areas of strength and areas for improvement.
Areas of strong performance include:
Areas for improvement include:
Recommendations for Improving Emergency Preparedness:
Read the full report at: https://www.tfah.org/report-details/ready-or-not-2025
Trust for America's Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health policy, research, and advocacy organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-report-measures-states-preparedness-for-public-health-emergencies-including-infectious-disease-outbreaks-and-extreme-weather-events-302411726.html
SOURCE Trust for America's Health
