The CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement helps fund state, local, and territorial public health departments. This funding helps health departments build and strengthen their abilities to respond to public health incidents.
Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP)
What is PHEP?
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks highlighted the need for effective coordination among all levels of government. As a result, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement was developed to help fund state, local, and territorial public health departments. This funding helps health departments build and strengthen their abilities to effectively respond to a range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. Preparedness activities funded by PHEP are targeted specifically for the development of emergency-ready public health departments that are flexible and adaptable.
Why is PHEP necessary?
PHEP plays a pivotal role in ensuring that Franklin County is prepared for all types of public health emergencies, including infectious, occupational, or environmental incidents.
What are the specific risks for Franklin County?
Potential public health threats in Franklin County include, but are not limited to, weather-related events, acts of terrorism, outbreaks of infectious disease, and transportation accidents. While specific details of hazards cannot be predicted before they occur, Franklin County Public Health uses an all-hazards approach to rapidly respond to, and recover from, all types of emergencies.
How does FCPH prepare for potential emergencies?
In collaboration with local partners, Franklin County Public Health conducts various trainings and exercises to evaluate and improve response readiness. Trainings and exercises follow a building-block approach by increasing in complexity and scope. This ranges from discussion-based evaluation of plans during a seminar to testing the plans in a full-scale exercise.
How is PHEP funded?
PHEP funding from the CDC provides approximately $700 million annually to 50 states, four localities, and eight U.S. territories and freely associated states. Since 2002, the PHEP cooperative agreement has provided more than $11 billion to public health departments across the nation.