When disaster strikes, critical infrastructure failures can follow – from loss of power and water to failures of information technology infrastructure and systems. Threats to the nation’s healthcare and public health (HPH) critical infrastructure are highly complex and rapidly evolving, creating potentially new or increased national health security risks and disruptions, challenging assumptions about the current and future resilience of HPH critical infrastructure design and operations, and altering the implications for interdependent sectors and workforce. In December 2024, the National Academies Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies hosted a public workshop to consider strategies, policies, and innovative actions to improve the resilience of HPH critical infrastructure concerning impacts from disasters and other emergencies.
