Supporting State and Local Health Departments

CDC has placed preparedness staff across the nation to support state and local health departments. In 2017, 90 Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement-funded field staff were assigned to 58 different awardee locations, including 46 states, 4 localities, and 8 U.S. territories. CDC now has PHEP-funded field staff in 14 more locations than in 2016. Having skilled staff that can provide direct technical assistance and support from CDC at the local level has been a major factor in helping health departments prepare for and respond to emergencies.

2017 PHEP-funded field staff include

• 36 Career Epidemiology Field Officers – created in 2002 to help health departments strengthen their epidemiological capacity
• 25 Preparedness Field Assignees – Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) graduates that support state and local preparedness programs
• 19 Public Health Associate Program Associates – support state and local health departments while gaining valuable knowledge and skills
• 7  Regional Medical Countermeasure Specialists – support PHEP funding recipients with their medical countermeasure planning
• 2 Public Health Advisors – help PHEP cooperative agreement recipients develop their preparedness and response programs
• 1 Temporary Epidemiology Field Assignees – created in 2015  in response of the Ebola outbreak to strengthen epidemiologic capability to respond to novel disease introductions

All of these positions help states, localities, and territories prepare for and respond to both small and large public health emergencies.