Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers (PERRC) Toolkits

This inventory was developed by the Emergency Preparedness, Research, Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with the scope of disseminating PERRC research findings and promising practices to knowledge users (researchers, decision-makers, practitioners, public health departments’ workforce, and public health system partners), enhance preparedness processes and strengthen the competence of the public health workforce.

The Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Centers (PERRCs) conducted research to evaluate the structure, capabilities, and performance of public health systems for preparedness and emergency response. The establishment of these centers was mandated by the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006, which called for research to improve federal, state, local, and tribal public health preparedness and response systems.

All PERRC research has been focused on identifying the most critical elements needed to enhance preparedness for all hazards and to close gaps in public health preparedness and response services. An integral part of the work of these centers has been to help translate study results to public health practice. Some of the research produced by the PERRCs has been translated into toolkits designed to facilitate the work of state and local public health agencies in preparedness efforts. This inventory presents toolkits derived from the PERRC research that are freely available for use and that can be implemented with limited support from the toolkits developers.