INDIANAPOLIS - Trust for America's Health (TFAH) has issued its 2008 "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health in the Age of Bioterrorism" report and Indiana has maintained a high score of nine out of 10.

"It is essential we build our state capacity to respond to disasters, and this report is proof of how hard Indiana has been working to be better prepared," said Loren Robertson, assistant commissioner for Public Health and Preparedness at the Indiana State Department of Health. "Indiana was able to maintain its score when the national average actually dropped."

The TFAH report outlines the status of states' emergency preparedness efforts, and the national average score dropped from eight to seven points in this year's report.  The indicators vary with five old and five new indicators each year. The 10 indicators that the states were evaluated on are as follows:

·         Biosurveillance and compliance with the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System;

·         Detection and diagnosis in food safety;

·         Entity emergency liability protection;

·         Health care volunteer emergency liability protection;

·         Medical Reserve Corps readiness;

·         Public health funding commitment;

·         State anti-viral purchases;

·         State laboratory pick-up and delivery services;

·         State laboratory pandemic influenza preparedness; and

·         Strategic National Stockpile.

Indiana received the one point possible for each of the 10 indicators, except for the laboratory pick-up and delivery services.  Only 26 states have intra-state couriers that operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

For the first time, TFAH has released two of the indicators for next year's report: community resiliency in regards to Medical Reserve Corps readiness and the implementation of food safety programs.

"Indiana has been working tirelessly since 9/11 to better prepare to respond to potential threats," Robertson said.  "Public health preparedness is a major priority for our state, and we will continue working hard to protect the public's health and safety."

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