Public Health Matters Blog

5 Practical Skills for the Holiday ‘Host(ess) with the Mostest’

Close up of a roasted turkey being brought to the dinner table on a serving tray.

It’s not easy playing the part of host or hostess with the “mostest” at the holidays. A lot of time, effort, and planning goes into making merry with family and friends. In all the excitement of getting the house and food ready for guests, honest mistakes, minor mishaps, and even life-threatening emergencies can happen. Some Read More >

December 17, 2018 by Blog Administrator3 Comments

Flu, Foodborne, General, Injury, personal health, preparedness, prevention, public health

carbon monoxide, fire extinguisher, first aid, food safety, generator safety, handwashing, Heimlich maneuver, holidays, practical skills, salmonella

Operation Shortbread Is Not Your ‘Cookie Cutter’ MCM Exercise

A line of vehicles at a point of dispensing drill

December 4 is National Cookie Day, which—from a public health perspective—is what makes the scratch-made story of Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services’ Operation Shortbread a fitting one to tell this time of year. What do cookies have to do with public health, you ask? Before we answer that question, let’s begin with Read More >

December 3, 2018 by Kelcie A. Landon, MPH, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local Readiness2 Comments

Disease Outbreak, Flu, General, personal health, preparedness, public health, response

anthrax, Bake Cookies Day, Baltimore, cookies, MCM, medical countermeasures, Operation Shortbread, PHEP, pod, point of dispensing, public health, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program

The Neighborly Thing To Do: States Helping States During Disasters

Two boats motor down a flooded residential street after Hurricane Harvey.

Since 9/11, the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement program has been a critical source of funding, guidance, and technical assistance for state and local public health departments, helping to build and maintain a nationwide emergency management system that saves lives through its capability to rapidly respond to threats. But the PHEP program Read More >

November 19, 2018 by Kelcie A. Landon, MPH, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local ReadinessLeave a comment

General, natural disasters, public health, response

EMAC, Emergency Management Assistance Compact, Flooding, Florida, hospital, Houston, Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, PHEP, Public Health Emergency Preparedness, shelter, Texas, Thanksgiving

Partnerships Help Save Lives When Disaster Strikes

Package of Oseltamivir (i.e., Tamiflu) capsules.

Public health emergencies occur every day across the United States. Tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies have all occurred within the past few years and likely will happen again. Communities must be ready in the event of a public health emergency – both those they expect and those that Read More >

November 5, 2018 by Germaine M. Vazquez, MS, Health Communication Specialist, Center for Preparedness and Response, Division of State and Local ReadinessLeave a comment

Flu, General, natural disasters, preparedness, public health, response, Waterborne

California, emergency, flu, Illinois, influenza, Maine, PHEP, public health, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, Sonoma County, Stories from the Field, Tamiflu, Vinylhaven, wildfire

3 Reasons Why Handwashing Should Matter to You

Unseen woman washing her hands with soap in a sink.

Most of us are familiar with the parental-like voice in the back of our minds that helps guide our decision-making—asking us questions like, “Have you called your grandmother lately?” For many that voice serves as a gentle, yet constant reminder to wash our hands. Handwashing with soap and water is one of the most important Read More >

October 15, 2018 by David M. Berendes, PhD, MSPH, Epidemiologist2 Comments

Disease Outbreak, Environmental Health, Flu, General, natural disasters, preparedness, prevention, public health, response, Waterborne

disaster, disease prevention, emergency preparedness, flood, floodwater, flu, Global Handwashing Day, handwashing, Hurricane, influenza, outbreak, pandemic, personal health, Personal Preparedness, Prepare Your Health, public health, school

Protecting Our Future: Emergency Preparedness and Children’s Mental Health

Sad boy sitting against a brick wall with his face hidden

Among the many lessons learned during the 2017 Hurricane season, we recognized that addressing children’s mental and behavioral health needs is a major concern in hurricane-affected areas. CDC’s At Risk Task Force (ARTF) was established in 2017 to ensure identification and prioritization of the mental and physical health needs of at-risk populations, including children. ARTF’s Read More >

October 9, 2018 by Jessica Franks, MPH, CHES, Health Communications Fellow, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Rebecca Leeb, PhD, Acting Team Lead, Children’s Preparedness Unit, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Amy Wolkin, DrPH, MSPH, Vulnerable Populations Officer, Center for Preparedness and Response1 Comment

mental health, natural disasters, public health, response

At Risk Task Force, behavioral health, children, disaster, emergency, emergency response, Hurricane Harvey, mental health, world mental health day

Public Health Matters Blog Posts