City of Lubbock Health Department Receives National Recognition Through "Project Public Health Ready" Program

The City of Lubbock Health Department has been recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for its ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies. The City of Lubbock Health Department demonstrated these capabilities by meeting the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This designation has been awarded to less than 20% of local health departments nationally, placing Lubbock in an elite cohort. 

“We are proud to have been recognized by Project Public Health Ready for our high level of preparedness,” said Katherine Wells, Director of Public Health for the City of Lubbock. “This recognition is a testament to the collaboration in our community to respond to emergencies. This recognition shows that the plans we have developed locally with community partners such as schools, first responders, and medical providers to respond to a public health emergency exceed national standards.”

PPHR recognition confirms that the City of Lubbock Health Department has a thorough and coordinated emergency response plan in place and that staff have the training to protect the health of the community during an emergency. Local health departments recognized by PPHR undergo a rigorous evaluation by peer review to assess their ability to meet a set of national standards for public health preparedness. These standards align with federal government requirements and other national best practices.

“Public health preparedness planning, response, and recovery begins at the local level. Local health departments play an essential role in creating healthy, resilient communities that can respond to and recover from disasters.” said Lori Tremmel Freeman, Chief Executive Officer. “NACCHO commends the City of Lubbock Health Department for being a model of public health emergency preparedness.”

NACCHO, the voice of the nearly 3,000 local health departments across the country, provides resources to help local health department leaders develop public health policies and programs to ensure that communities have access to vital programs and services that people need to keep them protected from disease and disaster. Its mission is to be a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice for local health departments in order to ensure the conditions that promote health and equity, combat disease, and improve the quality and length of all lives.

The mission of The City of Lubbock Health Department is to promote a healthy Lubbock by providing and supporting essential public health services throughout the community. Public health services include the investigation of communicable disease, responding to disasters, mobilizing community partnerships, educating people about health issues and linking people to needed personal health services. Learn more about the department at: https://ci.lubbock.tx.us/departments/health-department.

For more information on Project Public Health Ready, including recognized sites, project tools, and resources, visit http://www.naccho.org/PPHR.