PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
Response and Restoration:
Public Health Systems in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
By Jill Sutton, associate specialist, Crisis Response
In recent years, natural disasters have
intensified and become increasingly more
frequent, placing immense pressure on
the public health systems that respond.
The consecutive waves of destruction
brought on by Hurricanes Irma and Maria
in 2017 caused severe damage to facilities
and key public health infrastructure in
Houston, Texas, Puerto Rico and the US
Virgin Islands (USVI). Following the 2017
hurricane season, APHL was awarded a
$15.1 million cooperative agreement by
the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) Center for State, Tribal,
Local and Territorial Support (CSTLTS)
to help restore essential public health
services and strengthen recovery within
those three jurisdictions.
Though more than two years have
passed since hurricanes Irma and Maria
made landfall, the impact on the public
health systems of Puerto Rico and USVI
still lingers. APHL continues to work
collaboratively with CDC and personnel
at both territorial health departments
to increase workforce capacity; support
technical training and professional
development for new and existing staff;
and expedite the procurement of supplies,
equipment and services needed to restore
and maintain essential public health
services. Since December 2018, APHL and
the territorial health departments have
been able to:
Puerto Rico
• Increase workforce capacity by hiring
49 new personnel
• Travel 14 staff to attend trainings and
conferences
• Procure over $1.6M in equipment and
over $1.7M in supplies, including 20
new laboratory instruments, 10 custom
built back-up generators and more
than 75 refrigerators and freezers.
Chawnique Schrang operates Hologic’s Panther platform
which is used for STD testing. Photo: USVI PHL
• Execute four contracts, such as the
implementation of video direct
observation therapy for tuberculosis
patients and the successful
infrastructure repair of the PRDOH’s
central laboratory.
US Virgin Islands
• Increase workforce capacity by hiring
13 new personnel
• Procure over $190,000 in equipment
and over $170,000 in supplies, including
four new laboratory instruments and a
40 foot refrigerated container.
• Execute five contracts, such as the
implementation of a public health
data repository to integrate healthcare
data of public health significance and
initiate a feasibility project to assess
the use of drones for transporting
specimens between St. Croix, St.
Thomas and St. John.
APHL is working with the jurisdictions
to address sustainability after August
2020 and to build on the lessons learned
from the past two years to improve their
preparedness and response capabilities.
Katia Matias loads the centrifuge with cistern water
samples. Photo: USVI PHL
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is
a reminder that natural disasters and
other public health emergencies escalate
rapidly, have the potential to cross
jurisdictional lines and can occur in
quick succession or simultaneously. The
inevitability of these events reinforces the
importance of preparedness activities that
can help mitigate the impact of future
natural disasters and other public health
threats. n
PublicHealthLabs
@APHL
APHL.org
Spring 2020 LAB MATTERS 27