Strategic Goal 1

Resilient and adaptive health systems that are ready to respond to public health emergencies and disasters, no matter the threat, will ensure continuous access to health care for all populations. Incorporating multiple threats and climate change considerations into preparedness and response planning can better prepare HPH systems during public health emergencies and disasters. 

Desired Outcomes:

• Federal interagency partners continue to assess climate impacts on health in different populations and communities and provide annual updates to communications and guidance focused on strategies/tools for readiness and resilience of HPH systems and organizations.
• Federal grants are more flexible to allow jurisdictions to redirect funding to partners in telehealth, pre-hospital, emergency medical services, post-hospital care, and social services sectors.
• Innovative approaches are developed to provide needed care in places where services are not available (e.g., rural areas or destroyed), accessible, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and affordable.
  

Federal Implementation Actions:

1.2.1  Increase regional partnerships to expand specialty clinical care access and medical surge capacity during emergencies.

1.2.2  Provide guidance and educational resources for health care and public health facilities to assess and incorporate climate change considerations into preparedness activities.

1.2.3  Establish partnerships with federal agencies, community organizations, health care providers, and the technology industry to increase access to safe, accessible, and effective telehealth services during an emergency.

1.2.4  Broaden the flexibility of health care and public health grant programs to increase available resources for pre-hospital emergency medical services.

A robust and well-resourced HPH workforce will support the U.S. response to national health security threats and maintain the health of communities. Greater opportunities should be available for people to enter the HPH workforce, along with the appropriate professional development and health resources throughout their career. Current and future workers should also integrate disaster preparedness and emergency response training principles and emphasize culturally and linguistically appropriate care into their practice.

Desired Outcomes: 

• Gaps in health workforce sectors are identified and prioritized to target retention, expansion, and surge capacity efforts.
• Partnerships with academia and professional organizations are developed to integrate disaster preparedness and emergency response, into health care and public health training and curriculum. 
  

Federal Implementation Actions: 

1.3.1  Partner with colleges and universities to incorporate disaster preparedness and emergency response education into health care and public health curriculums, including continuing education, and expand incorporation of public health into other curricula.

1.3.2  Offer incentives to students, particularly those from populations that are historically underrepresented in health professions, to pursue education in health care, public health, and clinical and applicable social science research fields and work in historically underserved communities.

1.3.3  Facilitate information exchange opportunities among HPH authorities to share worker retention evidence-based practices and mental health resources.

1.3.4  Incorporate health equity concepts (e.g., social determinants of health) and meeting the needs of at-risk individuals during emergencies into training for current health care and public health workers.

The public should have access to plain language and consistent evidence-based messaging that aims to promote trust in and increase adoption of public health interventions. Unified public health messaging during a health security event should emphasize transparency in the decision-making process, be accessible, and follow the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health care to reach all communities, including individuals with Limited English Proficiency.

Desired Outcomes:

• Community leaders (e.g., worker advocacy groups, industry associations), federal and SLTT partners, and media organizations form partnerships to provide the public with transparent and clear-cut messaging and combat distorted information during a response.
• Effective public health communication strategies and messaging tools are compiled and used to inform future responses.
  

Federal Implementation Actions:

1.4.1  Convene public health, communication, social behavior, media, and technology subject matter experts to develop guidance on building trust within communities and responsible identification and sharing of reliable public health information through virtual and non-virtual communication channels.

1.4.2  Develop partnerships between technology platforms and HPH organizations to build additional tools and processes to identity, monitor, and eliminate health misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (Mis-Dis-Mal Information).

1.4.3  Conduct formal research to evaluate the effectiveness of public health messaging and identify communication tactics that were well-received by the public to increase confidence and uptake in routine and emergency MCMs, and non-pharmaceutical interventions.