As public health funding and staffing continue to decline, communities are left more vulnerable to
the next catastrophic public health emergency. The United States is failing in its public health
preparedness efforts. The nation’s resilience depends on the government and public health making
critical changes to reverse this downward trend.
There is no single solution to cybersecurity concerns. Technology is advancing, but nothing can
replace solid planning and training. All three pillars are necessary to balance cyberthreats. If too
much emphasis is placed on one pillar, the vulnerability gap will expand. Ensuring the constant growth
and evolution of this trilogy is currently the best way to thwart threats that are ever evolving.
As National Preparedness Month comes to a close, DomPrep would like to remind its readers that
preparedness is a year-round process that involves practitioners at all levels. One good example of this
type of outreach comes from Baltimore City’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Leana Wen, who hosts a live weekly
call-in podcast to share information and to address the city’s health concerns.
The single extreme solar storm (GMD/geomagnetic disturbance) or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack (manmade weapon) – together often known as natural and manmade EMP, or simply EMP – could cause a […]
Among some professional emergency managers and media outlets, the role of senior elected officials
in incident response and recovery efforts is, at best, perceived as unhelpful. However, political
engagement is necessary for effective disaster response and recovery, and continuous, meaningful
involvement of elected officials is an essential element of the National Preparedness System.
As the Islamic State group increases its threats around the world, the United States is grossly
unprepared to track radicalized members and sympathizers, or to even know how many there are in the
United States and abroad. At this point, an international coalition effort is the best hope for
thwarting this unpredictable, yet ever-growing, “lawless” group.
Functional exercises are invaluable for helping participants understand their roles in disasters. This is particularly true for participants who normally are not included in interagency exercises, such as behavioral health […]
When fate throws a “sucker punch,” one will do whatever it is habit to do, for all are creatures of habit. During the recent civil unrest in Baltimore, good leaders […]
At the April 2015 Ready Chesapeake meeting, members of this nonprofit group discussed ways to build business continuity within Annapolis-area communities and created a survey to reach out to other jurisdictions for suggestions. Practitioners (149 public sector, 80 private sector) from 47 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and Martinique shared their insights from both the public and private sector perspectives.
When hundreds of people fall ill from a mysterious biological agent, public health and law
enforcement agencies work seamlessly to implement the established policies and enforce any necessary
quarantine procedures that they have planned and trained for well in advance of the current threat. At
least, that is what should happen.
As public health funding and staffing continue to decline, communities are left more vulnerable to
the next catastrophic public health emergency. The United States is failing in its public health
preparedness efforts. The nation’s resilience depends on the government and public health making
critical changes to reverse this downward trend. 