Ready or not: protecting the public's health from diseases, disasters and bioterrorism (2019)
Ready or Not examines the country’s level of public health emergency preparedness on a state-by-state basis using 10 priority indicators. Taken together, the indicators are a checklist of priority aspects of states’ readiness for public health emergencies. However, these indicators do not necessarily reflect the effectiveness of states’ public health departments. Improvement in these priority areas often requires action from other agencies, elected officials, or the private sector.
This edition of the series finds that states have made progress in key areas, including public health funding and participation in provider compacts and coalitions. However, performance in other areas—such as flu vaccination, hospital patient safety, and paid time off for workers—has stalled or lost ground.