Public Health Preparedness and Response Unit

The Wyoming Department of Health first received public health preparedness funding for bioterrorism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999. At that time, the department began enhancing laboratory capacity, epidemiology and surveillance capacity, and developing our ability to rapidly distribute health alerts to public health and other professional partners in the state. Following the events of 2001, the funding across the county increased and we expanded our planning efforts, training and education offering, and public information skills, while further enhancing laboratory, epidemiology and communications capacity. The increased funding also allowed the department to begin supporting local preparedness efforts through collaboration and funding to the county public health nursing offices, county health officers and local clinical laboratories throughout Wyoming.