Half of U.S. states are well prepared to protect the public during health emergencies, according to a new report from the nonprofit group Trust for America's Health.
The annual report gauges states' performance on 10 emergency preparedness indicators, including incident management, patient safety and water security. Trust for America's Health used data from the National Health Security Preparedness Index for all measures except public health funding, which the group secured through publicly available funding documents reviewed by states.
Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C., ranked in the top tier of emergency preparedness, up eight states from 2019. Twelve states placed in the middle performance tier, and 13 states placed in the lowest tier.
Overall, states' performance improved in public health funding, hospital safety, flu vaccination and participation in healthcare coalitions and compacts. However, the report cited safe water supply and access to paid time off as key health security measures states must work to improve.
To view the full report, click here.