A recent report shows Georgia is among the highest performing states in the nation when it comes to emergency readiness. The annual report, Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, is released by the health advocacy organization Trust for America’s Health., or TFAH. Nadine Gracia is President and CEO of the nonprofit.
"Specifically with Georgia, it was placed in the high-performing tier," according to Gracia. "Some of the areas of strength for the state is having those preparations in place regarding expanding health care capacity, and the public health laboratory capacity in emergencies, as well as being accredited for both public health and emergency management. And we saw that the state also increased public health spending."
Gracia says the state does have room for improvement.
"Where the state can continue to improve is in that flu vaccination rate, the state is below the national average in addition to being below the national goal," Garcia said. "And still increasing, working to increase the number of workers that use paid time off, and having greater patient safety in hospitals."
The TFAH report is aimed at helping states take steps to improve their preparedness and response to emergencies. For more information, visit tfah.org.
