by Brianna Crandall — December 15, 2014—On December 9, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and more than 35 development partners, released its second report of the National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI).
The NHSPI graded the nation’s preparedness for natural disasters, terrorism, and disease pandemics at 7.4 out of 10. This year’s index includes updated data and new content, especially in the areas of Health Care Delivery and Environmental Health.
An interactive map of Index Results is available on the NHSPI Web site. Users can either view the United States as a whole or choose a particular state, and navigate among the different views: Snapshot, Structure, Report. Marker bars show Index results for each indicator.
The current domains are: Health Security Surveillance, Community Planning & Engagement, Incident & Information Management, Healthcare Delivery, Countermeasure Management, and Environmental & Occupational Health. Each domain name can be clicked for sub-domain results.
The NHSPI is said to be constantly evolving in light of new challenges, and adding new features, which its revamped Web site will reflect in late December.
In the midst of the global and national response to Ebola, examining the country’s preparedness takes on heightened significance, say the partners, and is a reminder of the many infectious diseases and other disasters with potential for widespread health consequences domestically and internationally. The Index is intended to provide a fresh way to measure and advance the nation’s readiness to respond to large-scale emergencies of all kinds.
The NHSPI will continue to evolve in 2015 and beyond under new leadership from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The Foundation is planning multiple activities to continue to grow the Index, including: engaging and incorporating other sectors that influence health security preparedness into the Index, incorporating model analysis and validation studies to inform Index improvement, and developing new Web-based features and tools. The Foundation has engaged the University of Kentucky (UK) to help manage this important project.
