Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding for state, local, tribal, and territorial public health departments. Since 2002, the PHEP cooperative agreement has provided more than $11 billion to public health departments across the nation. This funding helps health departments build and strengthen their abilities to effectively respond to a range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. Preparedness activities funded by the PHEP cooperative agreement are targeted specifically for the development of emergency-ready public health departments that are flexible and adaptable.

In response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, CDC also administered funding through the Public Health Emergency Response grant to increase state and local preparedness and response capacity during the pandemic. The recipients included the 62 PHEP awardees.

Guidance and Technical Assistance

In addition to funding, CDC provides annual guidance and technical assistance to assist state, territorial, and local health departments with their strategic planning to strengthen their public health preparedness capabilities. Technical assistance includes CDC public health expertise, standards for developing priority preparedness capabilities, and expertise for conducting exercises and meeting performance goals.

On-TRAC

CDC developed the Online Technical Resource and Assistance Center (On-TRAC) to support state, local, tribal and territorial public health departments in preparing the distribution and dispensing of life-saving medications during a public health emergency. On-TRAC is a secure, user-friendly online platform where public health professionals can request technical assistance and access new and existing preparedness systems, tools, and resources. Public health professionals must be registered with CDC Join to access On-TRAC. Individuals who have not yet registered with CDC Join can complete and submit the CDC Join registration form, making sure to check the On-TRAC box when completing the form.

Funding Opportunity Announcements

National Standards for Public Health Preparedness Capabilities

To help public health departments with their strategic planning, CDC identified 15 public health preparedness capabilities to serve as national public health preparedness standards. State and local jurisdictions can use CDC’s Public Health Preparedness Capabilities: National Standards for State and Local Planning to better organize their work and identify the capabilities they have the resources to build or sustain. These standards help ensure that federal preparedness funds are directed to priority areas within individual jurisdictions.

The 2011 PHEP cooperative agreement guidance assists PHEP awardees in demonstrating measurable and sustainable progress toward achieving the 15 public health preparedness capabilities and other activities that promote safer, more resilient communities.