Public Health Emergencies and Responses: What Are They, How Long Do They Last, and How Many Staff Does Your Agency Need?

Abstract

Responding to outbreaks is one of the most routine yet most important functions of a public health agency. However, some outbreaks are bigger, more visible, or more complex than others, prompting discussion about when an "outbreak" becomes a "public health emergency." When a public health emergency is identified, resources (eg, funding, staff, space) may need to be redirected from core public health programs to contribute to the public health emergency response. The need to sustain critical public health functions while preparing for public health emergency responses raises a series of operational and resource management questions, including when a public health emergency begins and ends, why additional resources are needed, how long an organization should expect staff to be redirected, and how many staff (or what proportion of the agency's staff ) an organization should anticipate will be needed to conduct a public health emergency response. This article addresses these questions from a national perspective by reviewing events for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention redirected staff from core public health functions to respond to a series of public health emergencies. We defined "public health emergency" in both operational and public health terms and found that on average each emergency response lasted approximately 4 months and used approximately 9.5% of our workforce. We also provide reasons why public health agencies should consider the impact of redirecting resources when preparing for public health emergencies.

Extraordinary attention, ordinary neglect: the high cost of disaster preparedness and response

“…Posid and colleagues [1] have estimated the proportion of CDC personnel that is diverted from routine public health work during a declared public health emergency. This estimate does not include the personnel routinely monitoring events to determine the onset of an emergency, and additional resources may also be called from other agencies.…”

“…During disasters, resources from normal public health activities may be redirected to disaster response. [1] What do we forgo when we respond to these crises; what are the opportunity costs? In this exploration, I focus on disaster efforts in the U.S., but similar questions can be raised globally.…”

The Response to and Cost of Meningococcal Disease Outbreaks in University Campus Settings: A Case Study in Oregon, United States

“…In addition to coordinating the proactive public health response to an outbreak at the onset, the incident command team is typically tasked with developing strategic communication plans to provide updates to both involved parties (e.g., health care providers, university staff) and the public at large and disseminate critical information during the course of the outbreak (Reynolds and Quinn Crouse, 2008; personal interviews, April 10 and 24, 2018), as well as securing and allocating required funding to cover the response via national, state, and local government agencies and other funding mechanisms (Posid et al, 2013;personal interviews, April 24, 2018, andMay 21, 2018). Communication activities typically include:…”

How Prepared Are We for Possible Bioterrorist Attacks: An Approach from Emergency Medicine Perspective

“…When a public health emergency is identified, it may be wise to redirect resources, e.g., funding, staff, and space from core public health programs to contribute to the public health emergency response [ 24 ].…”