Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

The Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report identifies gaps in national and state preparedness to protect residents’ health during emergencies and makes recommendations to strengthen the nation’s public health system and improve emergency readiness. As the nation experiences an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks and extreme weather events, the report found that while emergency preparedness has improved in some areas, policymakers not heeding the lessons of past emergencies, funding cuts, and health misinformation put decades of progress at risk.

Resource:

Ready or Not 2024: State-by-State Factsheets

Panelists

• Jane Gilbert
  Jane Gilbert is the chief heat officer for Miami-Dade County. She leads resilience strategy development to address the increasing health and economic risks associated with extreme heat.
  Bio
  
• Raynard Washington, Ph.D., MPH
  Raynard Washington, Ph.D., MPH currently serves as Public Health Director for Mecklenburg County (NC) Public Health, where he is responsible for leading more than 900 interdisciplinary public health professionals who work daily to protect and promote health among county residents with an emphasis on improving health equity.
  Bio
  
• L. Brannon Traxler, M.D., MPH
  L. Brannon Traxler, M.D., MPH, currently serves as director of Health Promotion and Services & Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
  Bio
  

Moderator

• J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., MSCE
  Dr. J. Nadine Gracia is the President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health policy, research and advocacy organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community.
  Bio