Preparing for Public Health Emergencies: Meeting the Challenges in Rural America presents information and recommendations resulting from a conference that was held in St. Paul, MN, Sept. 27 - 28, 2004. The session brought together more than 80 public health preparedness leaders from multiple states to identify important yet unique barriers facing rural public health preparedness and the strategies to overcome those barriers.

The report presents recommendations based on the unique preparedness concerns facing rural America. Specifically: Contrary to the opinion of many, rural America is indeed vulnerable to bioterrorism and other serious public health emergency threats such as storms and other natural disasters, and must be adequately prepared to protect its citizens; Public health and health care systems in rural America need to be strengthened to meet the challenges of these threats; Policy makers at the federal, state and local levels need to make sure that rural America has the financial and human resources required to achieve an adequate state of readiness; and, Public health and health care leaders in rural areas need to work together to assure that emergency preparedness is achieved in a cost-effective manner.

Paul Campbell, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) faculty member, and Joshua Frances, research assistant and co-investigator of the report, are leaders in rural preparedness at HSPH's Center for Public Health Preparedness and helped organize the conference. Michael Meit, Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Rural Health Practice, was also an author of the report.

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Contact: Robin Herman
rherman@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-4752
Harvard School of Public Health
21-Mar-2005