Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force

Federal Priorities

• Support policy and procedural changes to ensure efficient, transparent, and timely responses to disaster recovery for all
• Ensure the National Guard is equipped with adequate resources and capabilities to serve as the operational reserve for national security missions as well as support domestic emergencies while ensuring that Governors retain the authority to control the National Guard personnel as laid out in U.S.C. Title 32, Section 104
• Support the facilitation of private, non-profit, local, state, territorial and federal partnerships to enhance cybersecurity resiliency, and improve long-term critical infrastructure for new and emerging threats
• Strengthen and support mental health nationwide through sustained federal investment and reduction of stigma, particularly for vulnerable populations including youth, emergency personnel, disaster survivors and essential workers
• Identify pathways for increasing the healthcare workforce in areas including but not limited to community health, rural health, direct care, nursing support, long-term care, mental health, and substance use disorders in order to improve healthcare delivery
• Improve child and maternal health outcomes through strong federal-state partnerships that evaluate and address root causes while better supporting families nationwide
• Strengthen healthcare infrastructure through development of resources, guidance, and collaboration with supply chain, public health infrastructure, human services, health equity, nutrition, and telehealth

Task Force Letter on FY 2025 Appropriations

Governors’ Reimagining Models of Disaster Preparedness and Recovery

At the 2024 Winter Meeting Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force Co-Chairs Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green, and Vermont Governor Phil Scott led a discussion on “Governors’ Reimagining Models of Disaster Preparedness and Recovery,” with: Jennifer G. Enderlin, Director, Corporate Responsibility, AT&T; Colt Hagmaier, Assistant Administrator, FEMA Office of Response and Recovery; and Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary, SAMHSA.

Watch the Full Session