Information for Public Health Professionals
Public health professionals will play an important role in any radiation emergency. Key responsibilities (in addition to traditional public health functions) will include:
- Conducting population monitoring
- Initiating health surveillance and epidemiological investigations
- Coordinating the distribution of medical resources and providing guidance regarding the use of altered standards of care and managing scarce medical resources
- Addressing food and water safety
- Providing protective action and other key messages for the public and other key audiences
- Ensuring safe shelter operations
To help state, local, tribal, and territorial public health professionals develop plans and response capacity for radiation emergencies, CDC has the following resources:
Planning
- Radiation Response Briefing Manual: A Guide for Key Leaders and Public Health Decision Makers (July 2020) [PDF – 20 MB]
- Public Health Planning for Radiological/Nuclear Terrorism
- Success Stories in Radiation Emergency Preparedness
- Population Monitoring in Radiation Emergencies [PDF – 12.7 MB]
- Virtual Community Reception Center (vCRC)
- Community Reception Center (CRC) Drill Toolkit
- POD to CRC Planning Tool [DOCX – 1 MB] |[PDF – 3 MB]
- CRC Operations in Radiation Emergencies: An Overview for Public Health Personnel
- A Guide to Operating Public shelters in a Radiation Emergency [PDF – 8 MB]
- Guide for Handling Radioactive Contaminated Decedents [PDF – 1.4 MB]
- Use of Environmental Monitoring Data to Support Public Health Decision Making in Radiation Emergencies
- Radiation Basics Made Simple
- Radiation Emergency Training for Poison Center Staff
Related Links
- Tool Kit for Clinicians
- Summary of CDC Roundtable on Population Monitoring [PDF – 334 KB]
- Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation [PDF – 12.6 MB]
- Countermeasures/Treatment
- Protecting Yourself and Your Family
- Types of Radiation Emergencies
- Strategic National Stockpile
- Report on the NACCHO/CDC Workshop on Operating Public Shelters During a Radiation Emergency (August 2010) [PDF – 8 MB]
Page last reviewed: June 13, 2022
Content source: National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Emergency Management, Radiation, and Chemical Branch