The National Governors Association (NGA) hosted a webinar to announce the release of the Governors Public Health Emergency Handbook. This is the culmination of a year-long effort by the Governor’s Office to capture and share best practices in an action-oriented format to prepare for and respond to: Recovering from public health emergencies that regularly impact states and territories.
This handbook was developed through significant research and extensive interviews with federal, state, and local governments to understand best practices. This handbook was based on input from state and territory leaders at a 2023 workshop focused on preparing for future public health emergencies, co-sponsored by NGA and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. It is also based on insights. Collectively, the perspectives of more than 30 states and territories, as well as major federal agencies, contributed to the handbook’s development.
Discussions during the webinar will include state subject matter experts on implementing promising practices to identify and respond to future public health threats, strengthening public health infrastructure, and responding to multiple emergencies. It also included sharing views.
Additional topics discussed included, among others:
Governors who build a culture of preparedness in their states play a critical role in strengthening their state’s response to crises. Establishing a cadence for emergency coordination in advance of a crisis through tabletop exercises and other efforts across agencies and departments will make the response more efficient. Governors utilize task forces and similar organizations based on emergency management principles to focus, prioritize, and organize responses to major public health issues.
This handbook was developed by the NGA Center for Best Practices in consultation with Avoq. This effort, along with the workshop, was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent or endorse the official views of CDC/HHS or the U.S. government.
Transcript available on YouTube
presenter
Jessica Davenport, NGA Homeland Security Program Director Lauren Dedon, NGA Senior Legal and Policy Advisor Nathan Weed, Director of Resiliency and Health Security, Washington State Department of Health Kevin Kline, Colorado Homeland Security and Emergency Management Office Director and Homeland Security Advisor Jamie Burch, Director of Policy in the Office of Governor Mike Parson
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