This is second in a series of blog posts diving into Project Public Health Ready. Click here to view the first post in the series, “Getting to Know PPHR.”
Today we’re exploring how Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) supports local health departments’ in enhancing community preparedness and resilience.
Every $1 invested in disaster resilience and preparedness yields $13 in long-term savings from avoided damages and reduced recovery costs1,2. Prepared local health departments (LHDs) are resilient LHDs. Resilient LHDs are better able to support their communities and serve as positive representatives amongst their peers improving the field of public health as a whole through example.
PPHR is one of the only programs nationally that allows local health departments to assess their level of emergency and disaster preparedness through a public health lens. This unique program supports LHDs in becoming fully prepared and seamlessly integrated into the emergency response system to protect and promote public health during all emergencies.
Participating in PPHR has the following benefits for local health departments:
- Demonstrates an agency’s commitment to preparedness.
- Drives plan updates and prompts department staff to become more acquainted with emergency preparedness plans.
- Strengthens partnerships with an agency’s community and other stakeholders.
- Integrates an agency’s preparedness efforts through collaborating with response partners to develop and improve plans and processes.
- Demonstrates an agency’s alignment with federal initiatives including CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) capabilities, National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
- Connects LHDs with knowledgeable peers locally and nationally for review and feedback on performance and plans.
- Fosters internal continuous quality improvement (CQI) and builds a culture of collaboration among agency staff.
- Prepares LHDs for other recognition programs (e.g., PHAB).
Additionally, participation in PPHR is regularly cited by applicants as the singular reason their agency’s plans were reviewed and updated. During a monthly technical assistance call hosted by NACCHO to assist applicants through the process, an applicant said that they were “grateful for going through the application process” because “there were so many needed updates to [their] processes and plans that would never have been made” had they not been a PPHR applicant.
Another applicant said, “This has been an incredible process for us. We’ve made so many positive changes…we are excited to keep making progress with this for years to come.”
Follow along in this blog series exploring the program updates, sharing expert perspectives, and highlighting how PPHR can help strengthen your department’s preparedness.
For more information on PPHR, check out the PPHR webpage.
1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Being Prepared for the Next Disaster Pays Off, New Study Shows.” 2024.
2. FEMA, “Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves Interim Report.” 2018.
