National Health Security Public-Private Partnership Series

Every day, the people in your community rely on businesses.  Whether they are buying apples at the local bodega or going to work at a major corporation with its headquarters in your city or state, people rely on businesses for their physical and mental well-being.  That connection to health security is even easier to see when the business is a health clinic, pharmacy or other health-related provider.

Businesses are key to your community’s overall health and they can be great partners in building national health security.

Realizing how critical community businesses can be during and after a disaster, experts at Florida International University, working closely with FEMA, began developing unique programs that help businesses prepare for and recover from disasters.

Among these programs was the Miami-Dade Business Recovery Program. The program, now managed by local business partners, helps businesses rebuild and restore services. The program has expanded to focus on overall community health and economic resiliency. The program consists of many businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions who work together as they recover.

The Business Recovery Program created a unique resource called the Business Continuity Information Network—a web-based system through which public organizations and private businesses can share key information and available resources to support continuity within Miami-Dade country before, during, and after a disaster such as open/close status and damage assessments of area hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, grocery stores, and other entities critical to securing the health of residents.

The Miami-Dade Business Recovery Program is a prime example of what can happen when the private sector decides to become active in  national health security efforts. In creating new mutually beneficial partnerships with public health organizations, community-based organizations, and non-profits, local business owners can help their community and its residents become more health resilient in the face of disasters. Such partnerships can help to increase the visibility of public health projects, the availability of unused resources, and overall cost effectiveness for all involved.

For more information on national health security, visit www.PHE.gov/NHSS.

This post is part of a series on public health partnerships.  To learn more, check out the first post and second post.

(Source: FEMA, fema.gov)