PUBLIC HEALTH AND PREPAREDNESS
Why Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding Matters for Public Health Laboratories
By Tyler Wolford, MS, senior program manager, Public Health Preparedness and Response
Michael J. Perry, DrPH, MEd, Director of the Biodefense Laboratory at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Center, loads a polymerase chain reaction( PCR) plate into a QuantStudio™ Dx instrument in preparation for Laboratory Response Network for Biological Threats Preparedness testing. These activities are supported through PHEP funding to strengthen public health laboratory response capabilities.
Public health laboratories are a foundational component of the nation’ s public health emergency preparedness and response system. From detecting emerging infectious diseases to supporting responses to chemical, radiological and biological threats, laboratories provide timely, high-quality data that inform lifesaving decisions. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Emergency Preparedness( PHEP) cooperative agreement funding plays a critical role in sustaining and strengthening this capacity, ensuring that public health laboratories remain ready to respond to both known and unforeseen threats.
On an annual basis, PHEP provides approximately 90 % of the funding that supports public health preparedness and response activities. In the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks, total PHEP funding to public health agencies peaked in 2003 at $ 970 million, including $ 167.7 million dedicated to public health laboratory biological and chemical preparedness. Since that time, funding levels have declined substantially. In fiscal year 2023( July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024), total PHEP funding decreased to $ 661.9 million, with $ 92.5 million allocated to public health laboratories.
PHEP funding enables laboratories to maintain core preparedness capabilities that are difficult to sustain through routine funding streams alone. Emergency preparedness requires surge capacity, redundancy and specialized expertise— capabilities that may not be fully utilized during routine operations but are essential during crises. PHEP
Simplify Method Development and Results Interpretation:
Overdose Biosurveillance Dashboard
A new resource from APHL, the Overdose Biosurveillance Dashboard was developed to assist non-fatal overdose biosurveillance programs testing for substances included in the Expanded Strategy Recommended Panel. This interactive resource assists with epidemiological interpretation of laboratory toxicology results and provides key analytical information for laboratory method development.
Learn more and explore the dashboard: www. aphl. org / OD-Biosurveillance
NEW RESOURCE
30 LAB MATTERS Spring 2026 PublicHealthLabs @ APHL. org
APHL. org