Ready or Not? TFAH Report 2012

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# 6795

 

For the tenth year in a row, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), has produced a comprehensive report on the the level of preparedness for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

You can find, and compare progress, from my coverage of earlier editions of this report:

 

TFAH: 2011 Ready or Not Report

TFAH Ready Or Not Report: 2010

TFAH: Ready Or Not 2009

From today’s Press Release:

 

Ready or Not?

Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

December 2012

In the 10th annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, 35 states and Washington, D.C. scored a six or lower on 10 key indicators of public health preparedness.

The report found that while there has been significant progress toward improving public health preparedness over the past 10 years, particularly in core capabilities, there continue to be persistent gaps in the country's ability to respond to health emergencies, ranging from bioterrorist threats to serious disease outbreaks to extreme weather events.

In the report, Kansas and Montana scored lowest - three out of 10 - and Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin scored highest - eight out of 10.

"In the past decade, there have been a series of significant health emergencies, including extreme weather events, a flu pandemic and foodborne outbreaks," said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. "But, for some reason, as a country, we haven't learned that we need to bolster and maintain a consistent level of health emergency preparedness. Investments made after September 11th, the anthrax attacks and Hurricane Katrina led to dramatic improvements, but now budget cuts and complacency are the biggest threats we face."

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You can download the entire 76-page report here.  Each state is ranked based on ten preparedness criteria. A rating of 10 is the highest, although no state exceeded an 8. 

 

The report, which is worth reading in its entirety, contains these key findings:

 

 

You’ll find an interactive map, with links to each individual state’s report at :

 

http://healthyamericans.org/report/101/

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TFAH: 2011 Ready or Not Report

 

 

# 6026

 

 

TFAH, or the Trust For America’s Health, is a non-profit organization that audits and reports on public health issues in the United States. 

 

Yesterday, in the middle of an unusually busy health news cycle, they released their annual report on the readiness of the United States to deal with disease, disasters, and bioterrorism.

 

This year’s big concern is that the gains of the past few years in preparedness may be eroded due to budgetary constraints.

 

First an excerpt from the press release, then a link to the study and the conference call, followed by a link to a report by Lisa Schnirring at CIDRAP news.

 

Press Release

For Immediate Release: December 20, 2011

Report Finds Preparedness for Bioterror and Health Emergencies Eroding in States Across the Country

Cuts to Key Programs Could Hurt Ability to Detect and Respond to Crises

Washington, DC, December 20, 2011 -The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the ninth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism today, which finds key programs that detect and respond to bioterrorism, new disease outbreaks and natural or accidental disasters are at risk due to federal and state budget cuts.

Some key programs at risk due to continued cuts to federal public health emergency preparedness funds include:

• 51 of the 72 cities in the Cities Readiness Initiative are at risk for elimination; the Initiative supports the ability to rapidly distribute and administer vaccines and medications during emergencies;
• All 10 state labs with "Level 1" chemical testing status are at risk for losing top level capabilities, which could leave the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the only public health lab in the country with full ability to test for chemical terrorism and accidents;
• 24 states are at risk for losing the support of Career Epidemiology Field Officers - CDC experts who supplement state and local gaps to rapidly prevent and respond to outbreaks and disasters, such as during the H1N1 flu pandemic and responding to the health impact of the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010; and
• The ability for CDC to mount a comprehensive response to nuclear, radiologic and chemical threats as well as natural disasters is at risk due to potential cuts to the National Center for Environmental Health. All 50 states and Washington, D.C. would lose the support CDC provides during these emergencies.

"We're seeing a decade's worth of progress eroding in front of our eyes," said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH.  "Preparedness had been on an upward trajectory, but now some of the most elementary capabilities - including the ability to identify and contain outbreaks, provide vaccines and medications during emergencies, and treat people during mass traumas - are experiencing cuts in every state across the country."

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Download the full report

Download a recording of the News Conference Call

 

 

And for good measure, Lisa at CIDRAP filed this report last night. Follow the link to read it in its entirety.

 

Preparedness report card spells out programs at risk for cuts

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer

Dec 20, 2011 (CIDRAP News) – Public health programs that detect and respond to bioterror events and disease outbreaks are at risk from federal and state budget cuts, a threat that could worsen over the next year if automatic across-the-board cuts kick in, according to an annual preparedness report card released today.

The big-picture preparedness view and warning come from Trust for America's Health (TFAH), a nonprofit health advocacy group, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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TFAH Ready Or Not Report: 2010

 

 

# 5141

 

 

 

TFAH, or the Trust For America’s Health, is a non-profit organization that audits and reports on public health issues in the United States.   I’ve highlighted a number of their previous reports in the past 12 months, including here, here, and here.

 

Today they’ve released their 8th Annual Report on the readiness of the United States to deal with disease, disasters, and bioterrorism.

 

While many gains in preparedness have been recorded, according to TFAH the recession and recent budget cuts threaten this hard earned progress.

 

I’ve links to the full report, a press release, and the audio file of today’s telephone conference about the report’s release.

 

Complete Report (1.7MB pdf)

 

A recording of the National Press Briefing

 

Press Release: Report Finds States Achieve Highest Ever Scores for Public Health Preparedness, But Progress Threatened by Budget Cuts (December 13 2010)

 

 

How the states ranked.

 

 

Press Release

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2010

Ready or Not?

2010 Finds States Achieve Highest Ever Scores for Health Emergency Preparedness, But Progress Threatened by Budget Cuts

Washington, D.C., December 14, 2010 - In the eighth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, 14 states scored nine or higher on 10 key indicators of public health preparedness.  Three states (Arkansas, North Dakota, and Washington State) scored 10 out of 10.  Another 25 states and Washington, D.C. scored in the 7 to 8 range.  No state scored lower than a five.

 

The scores reflect nearly ten years of progress to improve how the nation prevents, identifies, and contains new disease outbreaks and bioterrorism threats and responds to the aftermath of natural disasters in the wake of the September 11, 2001 and anthrax tragedies.  In addition, the real-world experience responding to the H1N1 flu pandemic - supported by emergency supplemental funding - also helped bring preparedness to the next level.

 

However, the Ready or Not? report, released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, notes that the almost decade of gains is in real jeopardy due to severe budget cuts by federal, state, and local governments.  The economic recession has led to cuts in public health staffing and eroded the basic capabilities of state and local health departments, which are needed to successfully respond to crises.  Thirty-three states and Washington, D.C. cut public health funding from fiscal years (FY) 2008-09 to 2009-10, with 18 of these states cutting funding for the second year in a row.  The report also notes that just eight states raised funding for two or more consecutive years.  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found that states have experienced overall budgetary shortfalls of $425 billion since FY 2009.

 

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TFAH: Fighting Flu Fatigue

 

# 5044

 

 

 

TFAH (Trust for America’s Health) has released a new report called Fighting Flu Fatigue, that finds (among things) – that hospitalization rates were higher during the 2009 pandemic, but vaccination rates were lower – for African-Americans, Hispanics, and American Indian/Alaska Natives.

 

Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH, urges in the press release that we not return to a national complacency about influenza, but that we build on the momentum of the pandemic response efforts.

 

This report makes a number of recommendations, including the creation of a major campaign that provides:

 

• Education about the need for flu shots, focused on why everyone should get immunized and the safety of the shots;
• Special, concerted outreach to minority groups. It is particularly important to use targeted, culturally-appropriate messages and messengers that encourage vaccinations and address negative beliefs and misinformation;
• Increased easy access to flu shots, even to people who are uninsured or do not receive regular medical care; and
• Incentives for health care workers to be vaccinated. Last season, only 62 percent of health care workers were vaccinated against the seasonal flu and only 37 percent received an H1N1 flu shot by January 2010.

 

 

There is a lot more to read here, as well, so be sure to read the full report.

 

First some excerpts from the press release for this report, followed by a link to the report itself.

 

 

Press Release

For Immediate Release: November 10, 2010

New Report Finds H1N1 Hospitalization Rates Higher But Vaccination Rates Lower for Minorities

Washington, D.C., November 10, 2010 - H1N1 flu hospitalization rates for African-Americans, Hispanics, and American Indian/Alaska Natives were nearly two to one higher than rates for Whites during the 2009-2010 flu season, according to a new report, Fighting Flu Fatigue, from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH). At the same time, both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccination rates were lower for African Americans and Hispanics than for Whites.

During the 2009-2010 flu season:

• African American hospitalization rates were 29.7 per 100,000 people compared to White hospitalization rates of 16.3 per 100,000 people. Hispanic hospitalization rates were 30.7 percent per 100,000 people;
• H1N1 vaccination rates were 9.8 percent lower for African-American adults and 4.2 percent lower for African-American children than for Whites;
• Seasonal flu vaccination rates were 16.5 percent lower for African-American adults and 5.6 percent lower for African-American children than for Whites;
• H1N1 vaccination rates were 11.5 percent lower for Hispanic adults than for Whites, although rates were 5.5 percent higher for Hispanic children; and
• Seasonal flu vaccination rates were 21.7 percent lower for Hispanic adults and 2.6 percent lower for Hispanic children than for Whites.

The flu is preventable with a vaccine - yet, each year, between 3,000 and 49,000 Americans die from flu-related illnesses (based on a review of deaths from 1976 to 2007) and the flu contributes to more than $10 billion in lost productivity and direct medical expenses and $16 billion in lost potential earnings each year in the United States. Fighting Flu Fatigue examines lessons from the H1N1 pandemic to inform future flu policies and prevention in the United States.

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Click Image or this link for report

 

 

My thanks to Tetano on FluTrackers for posting this link.

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TFAH: Ready Or Not 2009

# 4159

 

 

TFAH, or the Trust For America’s Health, is a non-profit organization that audits and reports on public health issues in the United States.   I’ve highlighted a number of their previous reports in the past (see TFAH Report: H1N1 Challenges Ahead).

 

Today they’ve released their 7th annual report on the readiness of the United States to deal with disease, disasters, and bioterrorism.  In it they find that the H1N1 pandemic outbreak of 2009 has revealed a number of shortcomings in our national public health preparedness plans.

 

A hat tip to Jimmy Jazz at the Break Glass Blog for calling this report to my attention.

 

Here is an excerpt from the press release, and a link to the actual report follows.

 

 

Press Release

For Immediate Release: December 15, 2009

New Report: H1N1 Reveals Gaps in Nation’s Emergency Health Preparedness Efforts; Twenty States Score Six or Less Out of Ten Key Indicators

WASHINGTON, DC - The seventh annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, released today by the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), found that the H1N1 flu outbreak has exposed serious underlying gaps in the nation's ability to respond to public health emergencies and that the economic crisis is straining an already fragile public health system.

 

The report found that 20 states scored six or less out of 10 key indicators of public health emergency preparedness.  Nearly two-thirds of states scored seven or less.  Eight states tied for the highest score of nine out of 10: Arkansas, Delaware, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, and Vermont.  Montana had the lowest score at three out of 10.  The preparedness indicators are developed in consultation with leading public health experts based on data from publicly available sources or information provided by public officials.

 

"The H1N1 outbreak has vividly revealed existing gaps in public health emergency preparedness," said Richard Hamburg, Deputy Director of TFAH.  "The Ready or Not? report shows that a band-aid approach to public health is inadequate.  As the second wave of H1N1 starts to dissipate, it doesn't mean we can let down our defenses.  In fact, it's time to double down and provide a sustained investment in the underlying infrastructure, so we will be prepared for the next emergency and the one after that."

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Complete Report (1.7MB pdf)

Press Release: New Report: H1N1 Reveals Gaps in Nation's Emergency Health Preparedness Efforts; Twenty States Score Six or Less Out of Ten Key Indicators (December 15, 2009)

 

Using the TFAH criteria, a many states have dropped in ranking since last year.  In 2008, 5 states scored a 10, while this year no state scored higher than 9.  

 

2009  Rankings.

 

2008  Rankings

 

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TFAH Report: H1N1 Challenges Ahead

 

 

#3790

 

TFAH, or the Trust For America’s Health, is a non-profit organization that audits and reports on public health issues in the United States.   I’ve highlighted a number of their previous reports, including:

 

 

June 2009

Pandemic Flu: Lessons From the Frontlines

 

March 2009
Shortchanging America's Health 2009
A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Health Dollars are Spent

December 2008
Ready or Not? 2008
Protecting the Public's Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

October 2008
Germs Go Global
Why Emerging Infectious Diseases Are a Threat to America

October 2008
Blueprint for a Healthier America
Modernizing the Federal Public Health System to Focus on Prevention and Preparedness

 

 

Today TFAH releases a new report that warns of the potential shortage of hospital beds during the coming months, assuming this virus remains no more virulent than the 1968 pandemic.

 

What follows is a small excerpt.  Follow the link to read (and download) the entire report.

 

 

H1N1 Challenges Ahead

 

October 2009

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released a new report that finds 15 states could run out of available hospital beds during the peak of the outbreak, if 35 percent of Americans were to get sick from the H1N1 flu virus. Twelve additional states could reach or exceed 75 percent of their hospital bed capacity, based on estimates from the FluSurge model developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, H1N1 Challenges Ahead, estimates that the number of people hospitalized could range from a high of 168,025 in California to a low of 2,485 in Wyoming, and many states may face shortages of beds or may need to reduce the number of non-flu related discretionary hospitalizations due to limited hospital bed availability. The numbers of people who get sick could range from a high of 12.9 million in California to a low of 186,434 in Wyoming, if 35 percent of Americans were to get H1N1.

< LARGE SNIP>

Hospital Bed Capacity at Five Weeks into a Pandemic

These estimates are for the peak of an outbreak, based on CDC''s FluSurge, using expert predictions that H1N1 is a relatively mild strain of the flu, similar to the 1968 pandemic flu, and that up to 35 percent of Americans could potentially become sick with H1N1:

• 15 states would be at or exceed hospital bed capacity: Arizona (117%); California (125%); Connecticut (148%); Delaware (203%); Hawaii (143%); Maryland (143%); Massachusetts (110%); Nevada (137%); New Jersey (101%); New York (108%); Oregon (107%); Rhode Island (143%); Vermont (108%); Virginia (100%); and Washington (107%).
• 12 states would be at 75 to 99 percent of their hospital bed capacity: Colorado (88%); Florida (80%); Georgia (78%); Maine (83%); Michigan (79%); New Hampshire (84%); New Mexico (93%); North Carolina (95%); Pennsylvania (77%); South Carolina (93%); Utah (83%); and Wisconsin (75%).

 

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H1N1 Challenges Ahead (0.38MB .pdf)

Press Release

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