National health security preparedness index 2018: Summary of key findings
The National Health Security Preparedness Index tracks progress in the U.S. in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the health consequences of disasters, disease outbreaks, and other large-scale emergencies. The index combines measures from more than 60 sources and multiple perspectives to offer a broad view of protection. Aggregating large volumes of data, the index produces composite measures of health security for each U.S. state and the nation as a whole. The index reveals strengths as well as vulnerabilities in the protections needed to keep people safe and healthy in the face of emergencies, and it tracks how these protections vary across the United States and change over time.
Results from the 2018 indicate that readiness for disasters, disease outbreaks, and other emergencies continued to improve in 2017, but current levels of health security remain far from optimal. The national Index reached 7.1 out of 10 in 2017, representing a 2.9 percent improvement over the prior year and a 10.9 percent improvement since 2013. Large differences in health security persisted across states and regions, with the Deep South, Southwestern, and Upper Mountain West regions lagging significantly behind the rest of the nation. If current trends continue, the average state will require five additional years to reach health security levels currently found in the best-prepared states, and nine more years to reach a strong health security level of at least 9.0 out of 10. Consequently, growth in the frequency and intensity of health security threats may outpace growth in the nation’s health security protections in the years to come, resulting in greater risks to population health.