Public health plays a critical role in preparing for and responding to disasters. We must fully incorporate the lifesaving benefits and expertise provided by the public health community into our homeland security and emergency systems.
Homeland security continues to evolve to meet a host of natural and man-made challenges. This year's survey showed that states continue to progress, maintaining efforts from previous years while recognizing that new threats also must be addressed.
Governors face many situations that threaten the health of their citizens and challenge the response capabilities of their public health infrastructure but do not qualify as an emergency. States need to ensure that they have the proper authority and aid agreements to do so.
Recent technological advances have made the issue of individual privacy increasingly complicated. Governors have a responsibility to balance the benefits of sharing justice information with the need to protect the privacy of citizens in their states.
