Public Health Crisis Response - New York State Department of Health – Health Research Inc. Public Health Crisis Response CDC-RFA-TP22-2201 PROJECT ABSTRACT New York State’s (NYS) unique mix of populations, localities and industries make it particularly vulnerable to a wide array of public health emergencies. Due to its geography, NYS regularly experiences weather-related emergencies, such as blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes, floods, costal storms and earthquakes. Other potential threats include infectious disease outbreaks caused by pathogens carried by food, water, insects and international travelers. NYS’s multi-faceted industry profile increases the risk of emergencies involving accidental chemical spills, pipeline explosions or nuclear accidents. Given the State’s vulnerability to a large variety of disasters, a rapid and effective public health response is necessary to reduce injury, prevent or control illness and reduce morbidity and mortality. In NYS, public health is integrated into the State’s emergency response system as a full partner and often as the lead player. This funding will be used to strengthen Incident Management for Early Crisis Response, Community Resilience, Information Management, Countermeasures and Mitigation, Surge Management and Biosurveillance. This will be accomplished with the ability to hire or contract additional personnel and procure necessary equipment, supplies and services to ensure rapid mobilization and response to public health emergencies. The expected outcomes include: • Prioritized public health services and resources sustained throughout all phases of emergencies and incidents • Earliest possible activation and management of emergency operations • Timely communication of risk and essential elements of information by partners • Timely implementation of intervention and control measures (as applicable to crisis) • Timely coordination and support of response activities with healthcare and other partners • Earliest possible identification and investigation of an incident/index case (if applicable)