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Public Health Emergency Response Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Public Health Directors

Download the 4" x 7.75" Response Guide PDF (472 KB/61 pages)
(Prints on 8.5" x 11" paper)

State, local, and tribal public health departments play an extremely important role in all-hazards emergency preparedness and response. Public health professionals within these departments should have immediate access to guidance and information that will assist them in rapidly establishing priorities and undertaking necessary actions during the response to an emergency or disaster. The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services (EEHS), Environmental Public Health Readiness Branch (EPHRB) has developed an all-hazards public health emergency response guide to address this need.

The Public Health Emergency Response Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Public Health Directors is an all-hazards reference tool for health professionals who are responsible for initiating the public health response during the first 24 hours (i.e., the acute phase) of an emergency or disaster. It provides useful information on the activation and integration of a jurisdiction’s public health system into the existing overall emergency response structure during the acute phase of an incident. It also contains guidance that may be unique to specific types of incidents, such as floods, earthquakes, and acts of terrorism.

The guide is not a substitute for emergency preparedness activities and is not intended to replace existing emergency operations plans, procedures, or guidelines within a jurisdiction’s health department. It is consistent with the doctrine, concepts, principles, terminology, and organizational processes in the National Response Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

A pocket-sized field version of the guide will be available to state, local, and tribal public health departments in January 2005. For more information on the Public Health Emergency Response Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Public Health Directors, please contact Martin A. Kalis at (770) 488-4568 or pherg@cdc.gov, or Gary Rhyne at (770) 488-7104 or pherg@cdc.gov.