Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement - The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Office of Preparedness and Response (OPR) has been collaborating with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in strengthening the State of Illinois’ response readiness and that of Local Health Departments (LHDs) for public health emergencies since 2002. With the start of the new PHEP Cooperative Agreement (2024 – 2028), IDPH will build and sustain statewide public health and healthcare readiness across the three core public health strategies. These efforts will be guided by meeting the milestones and performance measures described in the CDC Response Readiness Framework and the CDC Public Health and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Public Health. In this effort, IDPH and partners will become better able to save lives and reduce morbidity during emergencies. Strategy 1: OPR will engage a variety of partners across the state, including those working with disproportionately impacted populations, on conducting risk assessments to provide a baseline for the prioritization of preparedness initiatives. Similarly, partners will be engaged in an Integrated Preparedness Planning Workshop effort to launch a new Multi-Year Integrated Preparedness Plan (MYIPP). Utilizing an all-hazards approach, OPR will engage both internal and external stakeholders in planning, training, and exercise activities to maintain and develop MCM capabilities, to continue to build up lab capacity, and to make advancements with data system utilization. Strategy 2: Priority populations will be identified, including for recovery, and engaged in preparedness trainings, exercises, and other stakeholder engagements. OPR will identify gaps and areas for improvement in the Crisis Emergency Response Communications (CERC) plans communication surveillance, media relations, and digital communication strategies. The CERC will be tested during OPR exercises and plans updated based on the results. OPR will redesign preparedness plans with a health equity lens. Strategy 3: An assessment will take place to identify workforce surge response needs and resources. To advance administrative preparedness, OPR will work to reduce PHEP vacancies and increase efficiencies in executing and funding contracts in a timely manner. Preparedness trainings on a variety of topics will continue to be offered to both internal and external stakeholders. LHDs receiving PHEP funds will be provided with technical assistance, training, and exercise opportunities, including rural-based LHDs. IDPH will provide 55% of the federal PHEP funds on a formula basis to all local health departments in Illinois. The LHDs will be required to build and sustain capabilities with a focus on strategies identified in the CDC Response Readiness Framework. They will assess and prioritize this work based on regular gap assessments, site visits, and the lessons learned from annually mandated exercises and drills and resulting after-action reports.
