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 health emergencies.
Being prepared and ready to respond for public health emergencies involves a coordinated and continuous process of planning and implementation. In a public health emergency, the St. Louis County Public Health Division may organize and conduct the mass dispensing of vaccines or medicines to the community, share information and provide resources.
Many disasters can pose significant physical, psychological and environmental health risks. Recent natural disasters and man-made threats have motivated organizations to prepare for a wide variety of events.