Pennsylvania
- Population: 12,807,060
- Local Health Departments: 10
- Frequent Public Health Emergencies: Disease Outbreaks, Flooding, Special Events
- Key Emergency Operations Center Activations: 2020: COVID-19 Pandemic; 2018: Winter Storms/Nor’easters; 2018: Flooding
- CDC PHEP Funding:
FY 2021: $19,517,788
FY 2020: $19,315,104 - CDC Crisis Response Funding: COVID-19
FY 2021: $66,609,317
FY 2020: $17,902,388
- Epidemiologists: 8
- Laboratorians: 13
- Educators: 2
- Health Professionals: 3
- CDC Preparedness Field Staff: 2
- Other*: 38
*Includes IT specialists, administrative staff, statisticians, and other positions
- Community Preparedness
- Public Health Laboratory Testing
- Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiologic Investigation
- Information Sharing
- Medical Countermeasure Dispensing and Distribution
In Pennsylvania, the PHEP program trains public health staff in emergency management to respond to public health emergencies. In August 2017, a train carrying toxic chemicals, including molten sulfur and liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, derailed in Pennsylvania. PHEP-funded staff assessed the threat level and determined when it was safe for the 3,000 residents who had evacuated to return to their homes. Since many residents were evacuated into neighboring Maryland, PHEP-funded staff also coordinated waivers for home health workers to practice across state lines and treat evacuees. These efforts helped keep evacuees safe from injury with minimal disruption to the community.
During the Pope’s visit to the U.S. in fall 2015, the City of Philadelphia saw between 600,000 and 1 million people travel through. The city, region and state prepared for this event for a year. PHEP and the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) collaborated to support four medical stations and six first aid stations which saw a total of 350 patients during the event. The city also used state PHEP funds to monitor the first aid stations, hospitals, and hotels for adverse health events that would lead to quick identification of disease outbreaks.
