Management of the National Health Security Preparedness Index

The National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) proposes to undertake management of the National Health Security Preparedness Index (NHSPI), an emerging and important tool for examining health security preparedness at state and national levels. As a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the Coordinating Center currently provides expertise and coordination for building the scientific evidence base for the organization, financing, and delivery of public health in the United States while also serving as the hub of activity for RWJF’s Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRN) program that supports academic-practitioner partnerships addressing PHSSR issues in more than 30 states nationwide. By leveraging the expertise of the PHSSR and Public Health PBRN programs and scientific leadership, the Coordinating Center is well-positioned to build capacity for NHSPI in the following areas: 1) expanding the base of NHSPI advisors to more broadly represent stakeholders across the culture of health, including wider representation from business and industry, healthcare, and community-based organizations; 2) investigating, developing, and validating new measures to inform a more complete picture of health security preparedness and to increase the Index’s value for diverse stakeholders; 3) enhancing the reach and utility of NHSPI findings through communication strategies built upon best practices in risk communication, along with evidence from dissemination and implementation science; and 4) increasing and diversifying Index end-users across the research, practice, and policy spheres. By achieving these goals, the Coordinating Center will support the maximization of Index use for supporting evidence-based decisions about health security and preparedness in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.