Public Health Matters Blog | Blogs

Preparedness and Response in Action: Stories from the States

CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding, guidance, and technical assistance for state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments to strengthen their public health preparedness capabilities. Since 9/11, the PHEP program has saved lives by building and maintaining a nationwide public health emergency management system that enables Read More >

September 18, 2017 by Kelcie Landon, MPH2 Comments

preparedness, Preparedness Month, response

Connecticut State Department of Health, emergency operations, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oregon Health Authority, PHEP, public health, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program, State and Local Readiness, Washington

Preparing for the Worst-case Scenario

"ROTTERDAM, HOLLAND - SEPTEMBER 5, 2010: Demonstration of handling of car crash victim by medics at the annual World Harbor Days in Rotterdam, Holland on September 5"

Setting the Stage Imagine this: Explosions across New York City target elementary schools. Hundreds of severely injured and traumatized children, teachers, and parents flood hospital emergency departments in the five boroughs. Municipal emergency medical services (EMS) are rushing to respond. Fortunately this scenario wasn’t really happening – it was part of an exercise conducted on Read More >

September 12, 2017 by Celia Quinn, MD, MPH, CDC Career Epidemiology Field Officer assigned to NYC Department of Health and Mental HygieneLeave a comment

preparedness, Preparedness Month, response

#NatlPrep, children, children’s preparedness, exercise, hospital preparedness, Hospital Preparedness Program, national preparedness month, New York City, NPM2017, Pediatric Exercise, PHEP, public health, STEADY

Empowering Kids to Make Their Families Safer

American-Red-Cross-volunteer-with-pillowcase-in-Alaska_BLUR

After graduating from college I moved to Anchorage, Alaska for a year of post-graduate service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW and AmeriCorps. I served as the Preparedness and Casework Specialist for the American Red Cross of Alaska. Though often overlooked, Alaska is the largest state in the country (more than twice as big as Read More >

September 5, 2017 by Sam Johnson, Red Cross Volunteer1 Comment

natural disasters, preparedness, Preparedness Month

#endhomefires, #NatlPrep, children, children’s preparedness, disaster, Emergency kit, home fire safety, national preparedness month, NPM2017, Pillowcase Project, ready, red cross, sound the alarm

Beat the Heat at DragonCon

DragonCon is a convention that combines science fiction and fantasy, with gaming, comics, and entertainment for the largest multi-genre event in the world. In 2016, an estimated 77,000 people from around the world attended this annual event that is held every Labor Day weekend in downtown Atlanta. “This is a bad idea,” she said. “No, Read More >

August 29, 2017 by Tanisha Kelley and Latoya Simmons1 Comment

preparedness

#DragonCon2017, cosplay, DragonCon, extreme heat, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Safety, Heat Stroke, public health

Preparing for College Life: A Healthy Guide

Zoey Brown joined the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response during this past summer to help with a data analysis project. She saw a number of CDC programs and activities, and authored the following post to the Public Health Matters blog. The views expressed are her own, and do not necessarily represent those of Read More >

August 24, 2017 by Zoey Brown, David J. Sencer CDC Museum Intern, The Walker School18 Comments

prevention

alcohol, anxiety, binge drinking, college, depression, exercise, healthy choices, healthy lifestyle, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, pregnancy, public health, sexual health, sexually trasmitted diseases

Safety Tips Every Contact Lens Wearer Should Know

close up of a woman putting contact lens in her eye

Are you one of the 45 million people in the United States who wear contact lenses to correct your vision? Eye infections related to improper contact lens wear and care are serious and can lead to long-lasting damage, but they are often preventable. This year, in observance of Contact Lens Health Week, you can learn Read More >

August 18, 2017 by Jennifer Cope, MD, MPH, Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases6 Comments