By Charles Stokes, President and CEO, CDC Foundation

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the deep budget cuts that are straining the capacity of CDC, along with state and local health agencies across the country.  In these tough times, community leaders have to figure out creative ways to help close the gaps to keep America healthy, safe and secure.

One model approach for bringing communities together is the Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness.  A “meta-leader” is a leader of leaders – someone who can mobilize people and organizations to collaborate in times of crisis.

By Christine Griffith and Carol Jeffers, Sarasota County Health and Human Service, and Patrick Gardner, University of South Florida 

Located on the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida, Sarasota County is no stranger to extreme weather and natural disasters. But as Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane says, “You don’t have to be hit by a hurricane to be impacted by one.”  In addition to direct blows from Mother Nature, Sarasota must also be prepared to receive evacuees from other areas affected by disasters.