An organization that gauges how well America’s health care system can respond to a public health disaster says no state meets all ten of its criteria, but Missouri is among the two-thirds of the states able to meet seven of the ten.
The Trust for America’s Health says Missouri is on target with acquiring medicine, making beds available, processing samples and having enough staff. It’s also okay with its networking with the Centers for Disease Control, and with lining up volunteers and funding.
But the organization says the state misses the mark on identifying pathogens in food-borne outbreaks, requiring child-care facilities to have written evacuation plans, and limiting liability actions against organizations that provide volunteer help in emergencies.