Report: R.I. meets seven out of 10 indicators on health emergency preparedness

THE NONPROFIT TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH said Rhode Island met seven out of 10 indicators of public health preparedness in its report. / COURTESY TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH
THE NONPROFIT TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH said Rhode Island met seven out of 10 indicators of public health preparedness in its report. / COURTESY TRUST FOR AMERICA'S HEALTH

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island met seven out of 10 indicators of public health preparedness, while Massachusetts was the only state to receive a perfect score, according to “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism,” a report from the Trust for America’s Health.
In the report, Alaska and Idaho scored lowest at 3 out of 10.
The report found that the nation is often caught off guard when new threats arise, such as Zika or Ebola.
“Health emergencies can quickly disrupt, derail and divert resources from other ongoing priorities and efforts from across the government,” Rich Hamburg, interim president and CEO of the nonprofit TFAH, said in a statement. “Many areas of progress that were made after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks to improve health security have been undercut. We aren’t adequately maintaining a strong and steady defense, leaving us unnecessarily vulnerable when new threats arise.”
Rhode Island met indicators in the following areas:

  • The state increased or maintained funding for public health from fiscal 2014-15 and fiscal 2015-16
  • It met or exceeded the overall national average score on the national health security preparedness index as of 2016
  • It has at least one accredited health department
  • It vaccinated at least half its population (ages 6 months and older) for the seasonal flu from fall 2015 to spring 2016
  • It received a grade of C or above in “States at Risk: America’s Preparedness Report Card”
  • State public health laboratories have a biosafety professional on staff
  • It has a formal access program or a program in progress for getting private-sector health care staff and supplies into restricted areas during a disaster

Rhode Island did not meet indicators in the following categories: food safety, for failing to increase the speed of DNA fingerprinting using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis testing for all reported cases of E. coli; reducing health care–associated infections; and providing biosafety training, or information about it, in public health laboratories.

The report includes a series of recommendations for states going forward, such as prioritizing efforts to stop superbugs and antibiotic resistance.

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