PHEP 20th Anniversary Campaign

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PHEP 20th Anniversary Image Graphic

2022 marks 20 years of support provided by CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement. Since 2002, the PHEP program has provided more than $14 billion in funding to state, local, and territorial public health departments to strengthen our responses to public health threats.

PHEP 20th Anniversary Reflections

Current and former directors of CDC’s Office of Readiness and Response reflect on what the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) program has accomplished over the past two decades.

Why is PHEP Important?

  1. The PHEP program helps our communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from new and emerging public health threats.
  2. The preparedness workforce has made the PHEP program successful in saving lives.

PHEP: Then and Now

In 2002, Congress provided federal funding to support public health preparedness activities across the country. CDC administers this funding through CDC’s PHEP cooperative agreement. Twenty years later, the 20th anniversary of the PHEP program provides an opportunity to recognize the value of the country’s public health preparedness programs and workforce. (See PHEP timeline for PHEP program accomplishments and events over the past 20 years.

  • The PHEP program began in 1999 as a $40 million bioterrorism competitive grant.
  • After the events of 9/11, Congress provided nearly $1 billion in funding to state and local communities. These funds built preparedness and emergency response capabilities nationwide.
  • CDC’s PHEP program provides funding, guidance, and technical assistance for state, local, and territorial (SLT) public health departments to build and strengthen their preparedness capabilities. These capabilities enable jurisdictions to respond to a range of community health threats.
  • The PHEP program funds 62 jurisdictions.
    • All 50 states
    • Eight territories and freely associated states
      • American Samoa
      • Guam
      • Federated States of Micronesia
      • Northern Mariana Islands
    • Four large Metropolitan health departments
      • Chicago
      • Los Angeles County
      • New York City
      • Washington, D.C.
  • The PHEP program comprises 15 preparedness and response capability standards. These standards help public health departments develop and implement emergency operations plans that address a wide range of public health threats.
  • CDC established the capabilities and public health emergency management platform as a strong foundation for the PHEP program. This foundation:
    • Enabled public health departments to develop a comprehensive response structure and
    • Laid the foundation for a more effective COVID-19 response.
  • Like police, fire, emergency medical services, and the military, the PHEP program provides ongoing life-saving investments. It protects our communities and saves lives every day by providing sustainable planning, training, and exercising to respond to current and future emerging threats.
Gather Voices logo

Attendees of the 2022 Preparedness Summit expressed their memories of the PHEP program in a Gather Voices video kiosk. The commemorative video montage is now available for viewing. Persons who were unable to attend can still access the feature to record a message at https://gather.video/qptc. The deadline to record a message is September 30, 2022.

PHEP Trailblazers, Pathfinders, and Champions

CDC celebrated the 20th anniversary of PHEP by recognizing members of the state, local, and territorial public health preparedness workforce. These individuals have contributed significantly to the PHEP program over the past two decades. Designated as PHEP Trailblazers, Pathfinders, or Champions, these professionals have worked tirelessly to protect their communities from a range of public health threats.

  • PHEP Trailblazers are public health preparedness directors and other staff who have made lasting contributions to the field of preparedness.
  • PHEP Pathfinders are public health preparedness professionals early in their preparedness careers. They demonstrate effective leadership, innovation, and a willingness to contribute to the broader preparedness community.
  • PHEP Champions are staff and volunteers who have been with the PHEP program in their jurisdictions in some capacity for at least 10 years. Many have worked tirelessly – and often behind the scenes – to advance preparedness and ensure their communities are ready to respond.

PHEP 20th Anniversary Toolkit

The PHEP 20th Anniversary Toolkit is designed for PHEP recipients and other state and local PHEP champions who work to advance preparedness in communities. The toolkit highlights accomplishments of the PHEP program over the past 20 years. Describing your jurisdiction’s successes contributes to the story of the PHEP program’s achievements at a national level.

The toolkit contains:

  • Talking points and key messages for dissemination to partners
  • Templates for developing a fact sheet and success stories about a jurisdiction’s preparedness program
  • Social media messages with graphics
  • A 20th anniversary graphic to use in e-mail signatures and on other materials throughout 2022

How PHEP recipients can support the initiative and promote their achievements over the past 20 years:

  • Share the key messages with their networks
  • Use the toolkit templates to tell their success stories
  • Recognize their public health preparedness workforce using their communication channels
  • Invite their colleagues to download the toolkit at On-TRAC