Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Shares Recommendations to Improve Nation’s Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response Programs

Center News

Published

June 28, 2021 – As the U.S. Congress continues to respond to and begin recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, they must also prepare for the next pandemic, which could appear at any time. For over 20 years, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has worked to protect people’s health from epidemics and disasters and ensure community resilience by examining how innovations, policies, and programs can strengthen health security.

The Center has identified 13 proposals that, if empowered through bipartisan legislation, would improve the nation's public health, and increase medical preparedness and response programs for future public health events.

Proposals:

  • Expedite Development of Medical Countermeasures for Unknown Viral Threats
  • Invest in Ongoing and Just-in-Time Social Science Research to Ensure Public Support for Outbreak Management
  • Authorize the National Center for Epidemic Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics
  • Prioritize Funding for Development of At-Home Diagnostic Technology
  • Support Innovation and Stockpile Strategies to Provide Better Respiratory Protective Devices
  • Create a National Center for Pandemic and Disaster Nursing Research
  • Develop New Vaccine Delivery Platforms to Rapidly Immunize Millions in a Pandemic
  • Develop a National Strategy to Combat Health-Related Misinformation and Disinformation
  • Create Deployable Research Response Teams
  • Create a Central Repository for Serosurveys and Public Health Observational Studies
  • Evaluate the Hospital Preparedness Program’s Effectiveness during the Pandemic
  • Enlist the Community Health Sector in Achieving Adequate Preparedness and Response for Vulnerable Populations
  • Develop a Coherent Strategy and Substructure to Facilitate Comprehensive Recovery from an Infectious Disease Disaster

Read full summaries of the proposals.

For more information, please contact Anita Cicero, JD, Deputy Director at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

The Center submitted these proposals to Senator Murray and Senator Burr as part of their bipartisan legislative efforts to Improve Nation’s Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response Programs.