(Washington, DC – March 14, 2024) – 2024 Report is 21cent The annual report finds that while emergency preparedness has improved in some regions, policymakers are failing to heed the lessons of past emergencies, funding cuts and health misinformation. It revealed that it is putting decades of progress in public health preparedness at risk.
Based on nine key indicators, this report measures states' readiness to respond to a variety of health emergencies and provide continuous public health services, and provides federal and state policymakers with an urgent Provide actionable data to improve preparedness. The report categorizes states and the District of Columbia into three readiness levels (high, medium, and low) based on nine indicators.This year's report has been published 21 states and DCs in the high performance tier, 13 states in the medium performance tier, and 16 states in the low performance tier.
The report's findings showed both areas of strength and areas that need attention in the nation's health emergency preparedness.
Areas that are performing well include:
- The majority of states are prepared to expand medical and public health testing capacity during emergencies. As of the end of 2023, 39 states have joined the Nurse Licensing Compact, allowing nurses to work both in-person and telehealth in multiple member states without the need for additional state licensure. , expediting emergency response efforts.
- The District of Columbia and 46 states have documented plans for expanding public health testing services during health emergencies.
- Most states (43) and the District of Columbia have certification in public health or emergency management, or both.
- The majority of states (at least 37 states) and the District of Columbia maintained or increased public health funding during fiscal year 2023. These funds are especially important because most of the federal funding in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been one-time funds.
Areas that need attention include:
- Too few people are vaccinated against seasonal influenza. During the 2022-2023 influenza season, only 49% of people (age 6 months and older) received a flu vaccine, far short of the government-set target of 70%. healthy people 2030.
- On average, only 25% of the state's acute care hospitals received the highest quality patient safety grade during the fall 2023 assessment. Hospital safety scores measure performance on issues such as healthcare-associated infection rates, intensive care capacity, and an overall culture of error prevention. All of these are important for peak performance during health emergencies.
- On average, only 55% of U.S. workers used paid time off between March 2018 and March 2023. Workers who come to work sick are at risk of spreading the infection to the workplace and the community at large, so taking paid leave is an important preparation. .
In addition, the report features a review of some of the Discusses the increased health risks of extreme heat, including population groups. Sick people, pregnant people, infants, children, and the elderly. In 2022, more people in the United States died from extreme heat than from any other single type of weather event.
Policy action is needed.
The report includes policy recommendations for action by the Administration, Congress, and states, including:
- Increase funding to modernize public health data collection and expand the size and diversity of the public health workforce. The report recommends that Congress allocate $4.5 billion annually for basic public health capacity.
- Build healthy and disaster-resilient communities by investing in comprehensive public health, prevention, and health equity programs.
- Strengthen efforts to combat public health communication and misinformation.
- Ensure paid vacation for all employees.
- Supports health system readiness and medical response pipelines.
- Be prepared for extreme weather and environmental hazards.
