State gets high marks on emergency preparedness assessment

By Kia Stacy
BDN Staff Writer
kstacy@bransondailynews.com

Gov. Matt Blunt recently announced that a review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that Missouri is well prepared to provide drugs and medical supplies from a federal stockpile in the event of a public health emergency.

“This score is very gratifying with all the work we have done over the last three years to improve emergency preparedness in Missouri,” Blunt said. “Missouri’s high marks reflect that Missouri continues to improve its ability to respond to public health emergencies such as a terrorist attack, pandemic influenza outbreak, or earthquake on the New Madrid Fault Line, which could quickly exhaust state and local medical supplies.”

Missouri scored 96 out of 100 for its overall readiness to quickly distribute the necessary medicines and medical supplies received from the Strategic National Stockpile. The supplies would then be dispersed to local public health agencies, hospitals and other treatment sites for dispensing to Missourians. The CDC’s report card stated, “the State of Missouri continues to demonstrate a well developed Strategic National Stockpile preparedness program with clear evidence of collaboration between the state agencies and should be highly commended for its significant work in improving preparedness through collaboration with all eight bordering states.”

Some improvements noted from last year’s score of 85 percent include increased recruitment and training of Strategic National Stockpile team members, advance preparation of public information messages, cooperative planning with bordering states, and increased emphasis on exercise training and evaluation.

For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Center for Emergency Response and Terrorism, at (573) 526-4766 or at www.dhss.mo.gov.

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