News
Study Finds Gaps In Public Heath Emergency Planning
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
A new report by two health advocacy groups says West Virginia has several gaps in its preparedness for public health emergencies.
The report released Wednesday by the Trust for American's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says West Virginia met five of 10 indicators of public health preparedness. No state met all 10 indicators.
The report says West Virginia didn't maintain or increase funding for public health programs from the 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 fiscal year. The state also didn't have an accredited emergency management plan.
West Virginia complied with several other indicators, including notifying and immediately assembling public health staff to respond to an incident.
A Department of Health and Human Resources spokeswoman says state officials are reviewing the report.