CDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

When CDC gets the call to assist in a public health emergency, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is ready to respond.

The CDC Emergency Operations Center – a place where highly trained experts monitor information, prepare for known (and unknown) public health events, and gather in the event of an emergency to exchange information and make decisions quickly.

The need for a dedicated EOC in the United States became clear in 2001. During the World Trade Center and anthrax attacks, CDC responded to the emergency using available conference rooms with limited equipment. With support from CDC Foundation, CDC established its first dedicated EOC facility in 2003; the current facility began operations in February 2006.

Today, the CDC EOC brings together teams of highly trained experts and state-of-the-art technology to strengthen our nation’s ability to detect and respond to public health threats.

How we decide when to activate

Even when there is no specific public health threat, the EOC has dedicated staff monitoring information, helping to keep us safe 24/7. These same individuals may be called in to support a response should one arise.

The EOC may be notified about potential public health threats through its watch desk, which fields calls from the public, physicians, and state and local authorities. Notification may also come via public health partner briefings, field operations intelligence, or a worldwide declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The EOC is operated by the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) Division of Emergency Operations (DEO). When DEO first receives information about a potentially widespread threat (like an increase in the incidence of a virus), a team of subject matter experts within DEO and from across CDC gather to determine whether the Incident Management System (IMS) needs to be activated. The team’s assessment is reported to the OPHPR director, who then consults with the CDC director to provide recommendations for action.

CDC’s The Incident management system (IMS) has been activated in the CDC EOC more than 91% of the time in the last 7 years.

During an Emergency

During public health emergencies, staff in the CDC EOC:

• Deploys scientific experts
• Coordinates delivery of supplies and equipment to the incident site
• Monitors response activities
• Provides resources to state and local public health departments

Since its inception in September 2001, the EOC has responded to more than 60 public health threats, including hurricanes, foodborne disease outbreaks, Ebola, and Zika virus. In addition to emergencies, the IMS may be activated in the EOC may for planned events (e.g., presidential inaugurations and Olympics taking place in the U.S.) to monitor for incidents that may affect the public’s health. See a comprehensive list of public health responses supported by the EOC since 2001.

After an Emergency

After an event or an incident, CDC assesses what worked well, what could be improved, and prepares after action reports and improvement plans. Included in these reports are assessments of how well the response operations met objectives, recommendations for correcting gaps or weaknesses, and plans for improving response operations. CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response manages the development of these reports.

Emergency response is a continuous process of planning, training, exercising, and evaluation.