What is Project Public Health Ready (PPHR)?
Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) is a competency-based training and recognition program that assesses preparedness and assists local health departments, or groups of local health departments working collaboratively as a region, to respond to emergencies. PPHR is an initiative of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), and the PPHR criteria (years 2011 and 2012) are the most utilized national standards for local public health preparedness. These standards are updated annually to incorporate the most recent federal initiatives.
Each of the three PPHR project goals—all-hazards preparedness planning (i.e., preparing for both natural and man-made disasters), workforce capacity development, and demonstration of readiness through exercises or real events—has a comprehensive list of standards that must be met in order to achieve PPHR recognition.
Have Any Sites in Connecticut Achieved PPHR Recognition?
In July 2012, NACCHO recognized Connecticut’s Planning and Preparedness Region 3 as Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) for its ability to respond to public health emergencies. Region 3 met the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required to be recognized as PPHR, a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2006, the Capitol Region Emergency Planning Committee was previously recognized as meeting all of the PPHR requirements. That region includes the following local health departments: Bristol-Burlington Health District, Central Connecticut Health District, Chatham Health District, Eastern Highlands Health District, East Hartford Health Department, Farmington Valley Health District, Glastonbury Health Department, Hartford Health Department, Manchester Health Department, New Britain Health Department, North Central District, Plainville-Southington Regional Health District, Somers Health Department, South Windsor Health Department, Torrington Area Health District, West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District, and Windsor Health Department.
Statewide, the other four of Connecticut’s planning and preparedness regions will be submitting PPHR applications during 2013.
