More Government Investment in Health Security Infrastructure Needed

By Fred Donovan

May 10, 2019 - The National Health Security Preparedness Index report called on federal, state, and local governments to increase funding for health security infrastructure projects, after a 20-year decline in investment.

The index authors recommended that the federal government estimate the costs required to establish a “robust health security infrastructure” to inform governmental investment.

“Health security requires resources not only for responding to disasters when and where they occur, but also for robust pre-event surveillance, planning, training, communication, and preparation activities in all states and communities,” the authors noted.

Dig Deeper

EHR Pilot Issues Spur USAF Spending on Health IT Infrastructure

The index, originally developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), is now funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and involves more than 30 organizations.

The 2019 index gave the United States an overall score a 6.7 on a 10-point scale for heath security preparedness, a 3.1 percent improvement over the last year and a 11.7 percent improvement since the index began in 2013.

The overall score is based on independent scores in the following six categories:

“We’ve seen steady gains nationwide, but some states and regions are falling behind while others are moving ahead,” said Glen Mays, PhD, who leads a team of researchers at the University of Kentucky in developing the index.

“The overall progress is commendable, but we need to accelerate the pace of improvement and help all regions get stronger. The frequency and intensity of disasters is increasing, and we are all at risk,” Mays added.

Eleven states and the District of Columbia had health security levels that were significantly above the national average last year, down from 22 jurisdictions the previous year. Seventeen states had health security levels that fell significantly below the national average, down from 20 states the previous year.

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia experienced one-year gains in health security levels in 2018. Four states saw reductions in 2018, and 14 states saw no change.

Clusters of below-average states remain in the South-Central, Upper Mountain West, Pacific Coast, and Midwest regions. Above-average states cluster in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest, and Central Rocky Mountain region.

“States and communities have a responsibility to be prepared to respond to health emergencies and to recover quickly from them,” said Nancy Messonnier, MD, acting director of CDC’s Center for Preparedness and Response.

“Having a comprehensive index helps states see where cross-sector investments and cooperation are paying off and where more effort is needed.”

Based on a model informed by experts in public health, emergency management, academia, healthcare, and other sectors, researchers collect, aggregate, and measure health security using data from more than 60 sources to compile the index.

Security News

More Government Investment in Health Security Infrastructure Needed

The National Health Security Preparedness Index report called on federal, state, and local governments to increase funding for health security infrastructure projects, after a 20-year decline in investment.

Next in Security