New Report Finds Gaps in States' Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies COVID-19 Illuminated critical harm of underinvestment in public health infrastructure News provided by Share this article Share this article WASHINGTON, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly demonstrated that underinvestment in preparedness to respond to public health emergencies can cost hundreds of thousands of lives and wreak havoc on the economy. A new report released today by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) measured states' performance on 10 key emergency preparedness indicators and found room for improvement in every jurisdiction. The report, Ready or Not 2021: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism measured states' readiness for health emergencies of any kind (not just the COVID-19 crisis). It placed 20 states and the District of Columbia in a high level of preparedness category, 15 states in a middle preparation tier and 15 states in a low degree of preparation tier.