This year CT earned 7.3 points out of 10 possible in the
latest assessment of preparedness for community health emergencies, a small
increase from 7.2 over last year. But CT did better than the US average at 6.8.
The National Health Security
Preparedness Index has measured states’ ability to respond to health
security threats such as a Zika outbreak or a natural disaster for the last
four years. The Index includes metrics such as vaccination rates, hazard plans
for public schools, the number of paramedics and hospitals. Compared to the US
average, CT performed best for Incident and Information Management – public
health alerts to communities and multi-agency coordination -- but worst for Health Security Surveillance –
monitoring and identification of disease outbreaks. Vermont scored best among
all states with 7.8 points. The report includes detailed information on
Connecticut’s performance and challenges on many metrics. The report concludes
with areas that need work to ensure public safety in public health emergencies.
