Public Health Preparedness

Public Health Emergency Preparedness is the capability of the public health and health care systems, communities and individuals to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. Public health emergencies include but are not limited to infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events.  

Equity is a core value in the 2024 – 2029 VDH Strategic Plan, and health equity considerations are incorporated throughout the VDH EOP and response actions. VDH emergency response prioritizes meeting the access and functional needs of all Vermonters and reaching priority populations that are disproportionately impacted by threats and hazards. Disabled people and others with access and functional needs have additional requirements that must be considered when planning for, responding to, and recovering from a disaster or public health emergency. The CMIST Framework is a memory tool to help integrate the five broad access and functional needs individuals may have into planning, response, and recovery initiatives.  

• Communication: People with communication needs may have limited ability to hear announcements, see signs, understand messages, or verbalize their concerns.  

• Maintaining Health: People may require specific medications, supplies, services, durable medical equipment, electricity, chest feeding and infant/childcare, or nutrition, etc.  

• Independence: To function independently, people may require mobility devices or assistive technology, vision and communication aids, service animals, etc.  

• Support, Safety & Self-Determination: Some people may require personal care assistance; need support for anxiety, psychological, or behavioral health needs; or require trauma-informed approaches or support for personal safety.  

• Transportation: People may lack access to personal transportation and public transportation, or people may be unable to drive.  

CMIST provides a flexible framework for emergency planning, response, and recovery, emphasizing a person’s access or functional needs during an emergency, rather than a perceived vulnerability based on a diagnostic category or population characteristic. For example, being an older adult does not necessarily make someone vulnerable. Rather, an older individual may be at greater risk during a public health emergency because of an access-based need such as wheelchair accessible transportation services during an evacuation or a functional limitation that may impact hearing, seeing, or understanding emergency risk information.