CDC accredited for emergency management

Photo: CDC’s emergency management program has seen the nation through flu emergencies, multistate foodborne outbreaks, hurricanes and more.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) for its excellence in emergency management.  CDC is the first federal agency to attain full accreditation of its emergency management program.

“CDC’s emergency management program has seen the nation through flu emergencies, multistate foodborne outbreaks, hurricanes and more,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.  “CDC is the first federal agency to attain full accreditation of its emergency management program.”

Accreditation means a program has completed the six step EMAP process, including a self-assessment, an on-site appraisal, and a committee review.  The on-site assessment and follow up report includes a summary of compliance against 64 EMAP standards set out in the Emergency Management Standard.  Included in the EMAP standards are program management; administration and finance; laws and authorities; operational planning; exercises, evaluations and corrective action; and crisis communication, public education and information.

“Accreditation is a serious accomplishment for CDC and the emergency management community we support,” said Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. “Preparing for and responding to emergencies of any kind – natural disasters, bioterrorism events, chemical terrorism or pandemics – is a core function of public health.  Everyone at CDC has a hand, at one point in time, in emergency management and execution.”

Since 1997, EMAP’s independent assessors and program review committee evaluates local, state and national emergency management programs to ensure they meet nationally set standards for emergency management and promote consistent quality of in emergency management programs. The cost of accreditation is $50,000 and is valid for five years. Thirty one states, the District of Columbia, and 14 cities and counties in the United States are accredited. 

CDC is hosting a recognition ceremony today.  For more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/about/newsevents/events.htm.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES