Florida hit only half of the indicators for public health preparedness, according to the “Ready or Not” report from Trust For America’s Health
Funding cuts for public health programs really sank the score for Florida, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports.
Florida also missed benchmarks on whooping cough vaccinations, flu shots without a copay for those on Medicaid, concrete evacuation plans for vulnerable populations and licensing that would allow nurses to practice across state lines.
However, Florida does have a plan for climate change, a system to deal with chemical threats, emergency management accreditation, enough public health employees to quickly respond to incidents and labs that can process new threats or outbreaks.
The report also noted the serious tuberculosis outbreak that hit Florida last spring.
