U.S. Port Preparedness at the Local Health Department Level (PDF)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operates 20 quarantine stations throughout the U.S.  These quarantine stations are part of a comprehensive Quarantine System that serves to limit the introduction of infectious diseases into the United States and to prevent their spread. Local health departments collaborate with the quarantine stations and support these activities; however, many issues remain unresolved with respect to planning for and responding to health-related situations at U.S. ports of entry at the local health department level. NACCHO researched and wrote an issue brief to better understand the challenges faced by LHDs when planning for preparedness activities and also to identify strengths in the current system in order to further improve planning and response activities.