Project Public Health Ready

Okeechobee County Health department has been awarded PPHR Ready in 2005 and 2013.

PPHR Overview

Project Public Health Ready (PPHR) is a competency-based training and recognition program that assesses preparedness and assists local health departments (LHDs), or groups of LHDs collaborating as a region, to respond to emergencies.  The PPHR criteria are nationally recognized standards for local public health preparedness.  NACCHO regularly updates the criteria to align with recent federal initiatives, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Emergency Preparedness (CDC PHEP) capabilities and Public Health Accreditation Board's Standards and Measures  Each of the three PPHR project goals — all-hazards preparedness planning, workforce capacity development, and demonstration of readiness through exercises or real events — has a comprehensive list of standards that agencies must meet to achieve PPHR recognition.

PPHR builds preparedness capacity and capability through a continuous quality improvement model that can be maintained within the participating LHD and region after recognition is achieved.  By working with response partners to develop and enhance their plans and processes to meet the PPHR criteria, agencies strengthen working relationships and improving their integration within the preparedness community.

Vision: Local health departments will be fully integrated into the response community and prepared to respond to any emergency.

Mission:  To protect the public's health and increase the public health infrastructure by building local health department preparedness capacity and capability with assistance from state health departments using sustainable tools to plan, train, and exercise a continuous improvement model.

National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)