Public Health Emergency Preparedness
The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program works with local health departments (LHDs) to improve their ability to respond to a range of public health threats, including but not limited to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. Texas has 64 established local health departments, 45 of which participate in the PHEP program. PHEP works with these local partners to build more resilient communities that are prepared to deal with and rapidly recover from disasters. This is done through providing federal funding and assisting with planning, training, and exercise efforts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s, Public Health Preparedness Capabilities, provide a guide that state and local jurisdictions can use to better organize their work, plan their priorities, and decide which capabilities they have the resources to build or sustain. The capabilities also help ensure that federal preparedness funds are directed to priority areas within individual jurisdictions.
CDC Preparedness and Response Capabilities