Partnership Network for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases - Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases continue to threaten the health, security, and resilience of communities across the United States and its territories. Globalization, expanding vector habitats, population mobility, and zoonotic spillover events have increased the frequency and complexity of infectious disease threats, underscoring the need for coordinated, sustainable, and implementation-focused public health partnerships. At the same time, healthcare and public health systems face persistent challenges in workforce readiness, dissemination of CDC guidance, dissemination of CDC guidance, implementation support, partner engagement, and preparedness planning. Ponce Medical School Foundation, Inc. (PMSF) and Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), proposes the Partnership Network for Prevention, Detection, and Response to Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (PN-EID), a public health practice initiative designed to strengthen infectious disease preparedness, workforce capacity, partner engagement, and emergency response readiness through sustainable public-private-academic collaborations. Building on more than a decade of CDC-supported infectious disease programs, including the Puerto Rico Enhanced Surveillance and Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Arboviruses (PRESCA) Program, PMSF has established extensive partnerships with federal agencies, public health authorities, healthcare systems, laboratories, academic institutions, municipalities, professional organizations, and community-based organizations. PN-EID addresses Components 1, 2, and 4 of CDC-RFA-CK-26-0107. Component 1 will maintain the infrastructure, governance, communications, performance monitoring, and personnel needed to support infectious disease prevention, preparedness, and response. Component 2 will strengthen healthcare and public health capacity through dissemination of CDC guidance, technical assistance, workforce training, preparedness planning, and partner engagement. Component 4 will maintain activation-ready capabilities for rapid guidance dissemination, outbreak-specific training, surge coordination, technical assistance, and emergency response when activated by CDC. The project is organized around five integrated objectives: (1) strengthen and expand an infectious disease partnership network; (2) strengthen workforce preparedness through education, training, and technical assistance; (3) enhance situational awareness and information-sharing capacity; (4) strengthen community engagement and risk communication; and (5) maintain outbreak and emergency response readiness. PMSF will serve as a regional coordinating center that leverages existing infrastructure, established partnerships, and proven implementation experience to support healthcare and public health organizations throughout Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and other limited-resource jurisdictions. Over the five-year project period, PN-EID will disseminate CDC guidance and evidence-based resources, provide workforce training, strengthen partner coordination and, maintain readiness to respond to emerging infectious disease threats. Expected outcomes include increased organizational capacity, expanded adoption of evidence-based practices and response capabilities, and enhanced partner engagement. By leveraging established infrastructure, trusted partnerships, and extensive public health experience, PN-EID will provide a scalable model for strengthening infectious disease preparedness and response across the United States and its territories.
