Are we prepared for the next emergency?
An interview with Dara Alpert Lieberman, an expert on emergency preparedness.
Our ability to stop terrorists from turning passenger planes into missiles wasn't the nation's only deficiency back 13 years ago. The public health system wasn't fully prepared for emergencies like anthrax either.
To learn more about what is being done and what should be done, I talked with Dara Alpert Lieberman, the organization's senior government relations manager, who leads its advocacy around emergency preparedness and infectious diseases.
What kinds of effective steps towards emergency preparedness have been made in recent years?
Are there examples from the states or from cities that are model efforts in preparedness?
What kinds of things still need to be done?
How important is public health infrastructure and workforce to preparedness?
Planning is important, but without training, exercises, disease surveillance, coordination between hospitals and health departments, and medications and supplies, we could be fighting an outbreak with our backs against the wall. If we continue to neglect our public health and preparedness infrastructure, this nation could be shattered by an outbreak or bioterror attack.
How does preparing for emergencies that will hopefully not occur strengthen our public health infrastructure?
Read more about The Public's Health.