Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The PHEP cooperative agreement at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the main federal program that supports the work of health departments in preparing for and responding to all types of disasters, including bioterrorism, natural disasters, and infectious disease outbreaks. [...] territories and freely associated states in the Pacific and the Caribbean in strengthening core public health preparedness capabilities. [...] Dedicated CDC preparedness funding over the past two decades built many of the basic capacities and capabilities that accelerated the state, local and territorial public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [...] Cuts to public health funding from the past two decades have meant that health agencies have been less equipped to sustain the expert workforce and invest in modern data and laboratory technologies that would have made the nation more resilient to COVID-19. [...] • Increase/enhance public health expertise and capacity to address radiological and nuclear events in the Laboratory Response Network at the CDC.