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You are what you eat…and so is your baby
“As a mother of a baby born in 1973 when nobody was breastfeeding, I didn’t know why, but I instinctively knew breastfeeding was the best thing to do.” After my first son was born, I went back to...
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Predicting community resilience and recovery after a disaster
After 9/11, I was asked by the Baltimore City Health Commissioner to help prepare the city for a radiation terrorism event, because my entire career up until that point had been in radiation-based...
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Beat the Heat at DragonCon
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Hall, Office of Minority Health & Health Equity DragonCon is a convention that combines science fiction and fantasy, with gaming, comics, and entertainment for the largest...
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Empowering Kids to Make Their Families Safer
After graduating from college I moved to Anchorage, Alaska for a year of post-graduate service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps NW and AmeriCorps. I served as the Preparedness and Casework...
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Preparing for the Worst-case Scenario
New York City completed a functional exercise to help the city’s hospital system prepare for emergency medical personnel to treat and transport children, like this young girl, after a catastrophic...
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Preparedness and Response in Action: Stories from the States
CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement is a critical source of funding, guidance, and technical assistance for state, local, tribal, and territorial public health...
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The Power of Us
“I am a Katrina survivor.” These were the first words out of Joan Ellen’s mouth when I spoke with her. And she was one of the lucky ones. She made it out of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina made...
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Get a Flu Shot to Protect Your Heart and Your Health
“When you have a chronic illness, you do everything you can to stay as healthy as you can, which includes getting a flu shot,” says Donnette Smith, president of the heart disease support network,...
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Preparing Your Medicine Cabinet for an Emergency: A Checklist
If you read our blog on a regular basis you can probably recite the mantra “Make a kit. Have a plan. Be informed.” in your sleep. You are probably familiar with the important items you should keep in...
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Building the Future Preparedness and Response Workforce
When I think about public health preparedness and response I ask myself three questions: Who provides the infrastructure to train public health responders? Where do they learn what they know? Who...
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Halloween Rules of the Road
Halloween is an exciting time for kids and adults – the delight of dressing up in a fun costume, all of the spooky decorations, and of course let’s not forget the candy. Traditionally, kids...
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Partner, Train, Respond: Increasing Global Emergency Management Capacity
Countries in Africa are no strangers to major disease outbreaks that can result in illness and death of millions of people. In the past two years alone the continent has experienced infectious...
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Beware of Snail Mail: 10 Signs of a Suspicious Package
If you are anything like me, you love getting mail. There is something about opening the mailbox to find a postcard from a loved one or a care-package with homemade cookies that can make your day. But...
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In Case You Missed It: Top 10 Posts From 2017
In honor of the New Year, we are rounding up the blogs that were most viewed by you, our readers, in 2017. America’s Hidden Health Crisis: Hope for Those Who Suffer from ME/CFS Public Health Matters...
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Four Health and Safety Tips for Mass Gatherings
There is strength in numbers – both in public health and in public safety. The more people who take action to protect themselves, the better prepared a community is for an emergency. Communities take...
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Responding to Emergencies One Behavior at a Time
To improve the health and safety of people in the United States and around the world, we have to influence and change behaviors. It can be difficult to try new things, or stop old things as behaviors...
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Shouting in the Dark: Emergency Communication in USVI After Irma and Maria
Communication experts often say, “When you’re communicating during an emergency, always think about what you’d say to your mom. What information would she need the most? How would you explain it to...
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Moving the Dial on Preparedness: CDC’s 2018 National Snapshot
Every year, CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response publishes the Public Health Preparedness and Response National Snapshot, an annual report that highlights the work of CDC and our...
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5 Communication Lessons Learned from Hurricane Maria
When Category 4 Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, CDC assembled a team of experienced communicators who were flexible, bilingual, and culturally sensitive communicators. This group of...
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The Power of Preparedness: Prepare Your Health
The devastating hurricanes of 2017 reminded us how important it is to prepare for disasters. These potentially life-threatening situations have real impacts on personal and public health. During...
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