Practice Overview

Readiness requires prepared communities, trained responders, robust supply lines, and effective coordination. In short, readiness requires a system. Training people is not enough – we believe in preparing systems. These complex organizational and social systems include communities, organizations, and people. NCDP has long embraced the concept that it takes a “Whole Community” to respond to and recover from public health emergencies. Our trainings, drills and exercises, consultations, and deployments reflect this philosophy.

Top Off-4 ExerciseThe practice of public health emergency preparedness and response requires planning and training in many kinds of emergency preparedness capabilities and skills for a wide range of people and organizations. This can include the healthcare and public health workforce, emergency management and first responders, and trained volunteer agencies. It can also encompass a wide scope of child care providers, case managers, social workers, school teachers, and others in the private and non-profit sectors.

NCDP provides practitioners of public health emergency preparedness and response with evidence-based knowledge, tools, and resources. Additionally, NCDP identifies, designs, assesses, and disseminates evidence-based practices that support the public and private sectors as they prepare for emergencies and disasters.

Since 2003, NCDP has trained over 100,000 emergency managers and and public health practitioners through our web-based learning management system. Our consulting services and technical assistance provide solutions to specific disaster planning and response needs of cities, counties, schools, and communities.

NCDP brings together Columbia University faculty and other subject matter experts to address the wide-range and complex issues encountered in large-scale emergency or disaster events. NCDP offers practitioners of health and public health and emergency management with resources and direct consultation on:

  • strategic planning and organizational analysis,
  • rapid post-disaster needs assessments,
  • multi-modal training and education,
  • comprehensive drill and exercise design and evaluation,
  • and emergency plan design, analysis, and evaluation.

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