Mission: To enhance and improve the readiness of populations including that related to weapons of mass destruction, natural disasters, and infectious disease outbreaks.
Among its primary current efforts, the CPHRC is working with community, regional, and national partners to provide evaluation and analysis of preparedness performance goals and metrics. The CPHRC also directs educational projects and research efforts in the field of disaster preparedness and communication strategies and is interested in the development of risk communication strategies for special need populations. It has held several training courses and helped to lead national conferences, including one with the U.S. Public Health Service.
The faculty and staff of the Center have specialized expertise in bio-terrorism, chemical preparedness, radiological preparedness, modeling, data–mining, social marketing, risk communication, and various aspects of metrics and evaluation for preparedness.
The Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication is funded by Pennsylvania State University through the Pennsylvania Department of Public Health with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The center will soon be receiving additional direct funding from the Assistant Secretary of Health, U.S. DHHS.