Public Health Preparedness Month: How to Prepare

Stephen Redd, MD (RADM, USPHS), Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), discusses how clinicians can prepare for public health threats

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

“September is Public Health Preparedness Month. The preparations that people need to take really depend on what the risks are according to where they live. We really encourage doctors to give that advice to their patients.

If you live in Florida or the Gulf Coast or the Southeastern United States, at this time of year, you have to be thinking about hurricanes. That means be ready to evacuate if the order comes, [and] that means having a supply of food and water that you can take with you, etc.

If you live in the Northeast, or the northern part of the United States, during winter, you need to be ready for the loss of power or the loss of heating and so [you need to keep] things to keep warm, in addition to food.

It really depends on where you are and what things you are at risk for depending on where you are.”