Regionalization in Public Health Preparedness

A Framework for Achieving Community Resilience

Categorized Under: Health, Homeland Security

ICF International offers proven methodologies to help strengthen emergency health and medical planning, training, and response initiatives. For example, an integrated, regional approach to building and maintaining public health and medical preparedness helps enhance community resilience by increasing the resources and capabilities of one jurisdiction with the resources and capabilities of its regional partners.

Presidential Policy Directive 8 defines resilience as the ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies. Rand Corporation defines resilience as the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity. The process by which a community builds resilience is not universally described by any one entity for all disciplines. Developing individual jurisdictional preparedness by building and maintaining capabilities and partnering with neighboring jurisdictions provides the most effective means of all-hazards preparedness and community resilience. Through this “breaking down of barriers,” communities can take advantage of the benefits of regionalization.

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Authored By

Meghan Lusby-Treber
Technical SpecialistICF International

Meghan Lusby-Treber has more than 18 years of experience in emergency public health and medical preparedness and emergency management. She evaluates preparedness programs and policy and develops comprehensive solutions such as strategic policy initiatives; strategic, operational, and tactical plans; training; and exercises.

Ms. Treber has served as a paramedic and emergency medical services chief. She has worked in federal public health emergency preparedness and response as a consultant and federal employee, developing and supporting numerous public health preparedness programs. As a senior analyst for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Ms. Treber served as operations chief for major federal disaster operations and national special security events, specifically the 2005 presidential inauguration and Hurricane Katrina. She has held numerous senior leadership positions for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including State Public Health Preparedness Director and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health on Public Health and Medical System Resilience and Special Assistant to the Governor for Emergency Preparedness.