Related RAND Publications and Other Resources
Criteria for Improving Public Health Preparedness - Jun. 14, 2005
Emergency preparedness exercises are widely used throughout responder communities and critical for success in future public health emergencies. Criteria for evaluating these exercises should ensure their feasibility, reliability, and effectiveness.
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Bioterrorism Preparedness Training and Assessment Exercises for Local Public Health Agencies
RAND tabletop exercises on early local public health agency (LPHA) responses to outbreaks caused by bioterrorism. The exercises were developed as templates that LPHAs can customize and use to train public health workers in detecting and responding to bioterrorism events and assessing LPHAs’ levels of preparedness.
Tests to Evaluate Public Health Disease Reporting Systems in Local Public Health Agencies
An operations manual providing public health agencies with a set of standardized proficiency tests to aid in the development of regular and consistent strategies for testing the ability of public health disease reporting systems to receive and respond to case reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Public Health Agency Responsiveness Needs Improvement - Aug. 30, 2005
Many local public health agencies around the United States are unprepared to quickly learn about and respond to naturally occurring outbreaks of deadly infectious diseases and to acts of bioterrorism.
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Learning from Experience: The Public Health Response to West Nile Virus, SARS, Monkeypox, and Hepatitis A Outbreaks in the United State
In general, public health agencies demonstrated a robust ability to implement the major components of response to a public health emergency. However, researchers found that the most pervasive problem involved communication difficulties within public health agencies and with public health partners.
Twelve Best Practices for Public Health Preparedness - Apr. 20, 2005
U.S. state and local health departments have done much in the past three years to improve their bioterrorism and public health emergency preparedness. Twelve best practices can serve as examples for other communities.
Public Health Preparedness in California: Lessons from Seven Jurisdictions - Feb. 28, 2005
Improvements in the public health infrastructure resulting from the recent investments in preparedness create an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen public health. However, countervailing pressures, which stem in part from California's fiscal crisis, place the likelihood of capitalizing on this opportunity at risk, said Jeffrey Wasserman.
Anthrax Attacks Provide Lessons for Future Communication - Feb. 23, 2005
Analysis of communication problems during the anthrax attacks in 2001 suggest that exposed population groups should be enlisted to help public health authorities spread consistent and forthright information about health emergencies.
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Syndromic Surveillance: Can New Technologies Stop Bioterrorism?
Public health officials are testing novel ways to detect bioterrorism early on. One promising method is syndromic surveillance, which tracks symptoms rather than confirmed disease. But false-postive alarms are reason for caution with this new surveillance tool.
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Local Preparedness for a Chemical or Biological Attack
Suggests ways to begin to measure the preparedness of local responders for chemical and biological terrorism.
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About RAND and the Center for Domestic and International Health Security
RAND is a private nonprofit research institution established in 1948 to conduct independent, objective research and analysis to advance public policy. RAND Health, one of several business units within RAND, has been at the forefront of shaping private and public sector responses to emerging health care issues for more than three decades. The public health preparedness project is being conducted by the RAND Health Center for Domestic and International Health Security.
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