ASTHO at 75: Celebrating the Past and Preparing for the Future

Fraser, Michael R.; Hardy, George

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax attacks that followed in October propelled ASTHO to its next level of growth ( Figure) . Amid wide recognition that governmental public health is critical to emergency preparedness and response, large investments were made at the local and state levels in public health preparedness capacity nationwide. ASTHO received federal dollars through cooperative agreements with the CDC and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to convene state and territorial public health officers and preparedness directors, support state efforts to build preparedness and response programs, and assist in national disasters and emergencies as a response partner. The modern era of "public health preparedness" had begun as did a "new normal" in public health that required active involvement in homeland security efforts on a basis of 24 hours, 7 days a week. Discussions around how federal dollars for preparedness should be allocated at the state and local levels led to the development of the ASTHO-NACCHO (National Association of County & City Health Officials) Joint Council. Convening health officers to discuss coordinated emergency response efforts to Hurricane Katrina, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the H1N1 outbreak, and severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak laid the groundwork for ASTHO's role in supporting state and territorial health agencies and federal partners during public health disasters. Working collaboratively with NAC-CHO, the ASTHO-NACCHO Joint Council also became an increasingly important factor in policy formulation and advocacy for governmental public health.