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NACCHO Applauds Senate Committee for Taking Action to Continue Key Public Health Preparedness Programs

Local Health Departments and the Communities They Serve Will Benefit Says the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 23, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments, applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for approving legislation to reauthorize the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act. The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPAI), passed by the committee today, will provide needed stability for the nation’s emergency preparedness and response enterprise. Local health departments prepare communities for disasters, respond when emergencies occur, and lend support throughout the recovery process. NACCHO appreciates the committee’s focus on this legislation which is essential to the health security of our nation.

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program and Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), reauthorized in PAHPAI, are complementary programs with different purposes. PHEP supports local health departments’ response to public health threats and helps to build resilient communities. HPP enables health care systems to save lives during emergencies that exceed day-to-day capacity of health and emergency response systems. In addition, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) program provides additional public health personnel needed to respond to emergencies and everyday health threats.

“The PHEP, HPP and MRC programs deserve a level of funding that is consistent with the threats that are experienced on the ground level in cities and counties across the nation,” said NACCHO Chief of Government Affairs, Laura Hanen, MPP. “In 2017, Congress spent a record-breaking $80 billion to provide relief from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and devastating wildfires in California. Without the support of PHEP, HPP and MRC, this cost could have been much higher. A comprehensive, cost saving and proactive public health approach to disaster preparedness helps communities to effectively mitigate the damage and costs of disasters and help recovery efforts in the aftermath. Sustained funding to support local preparedness and response capacity helps local health departments build and convene diverse partners such as police, fire, transportation, planning departments, and community-based organizations and develop and implement evidence-based, community-centered strategies.”

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

Theresa Spinner
National Association of County and City Health Officials
202-783-5551
email us here

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