About
The Upper Midwest (Region 5) Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response (UMCPHPR) aims to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response across the six-state upper Midwest region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, including Tribal communities within these states.
The Upper Midwest Center is one of 10 regional centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), Office of Readiness and Response. It focuses on implementing evidence-based strategies and interventions (EBSI) to enhance communities’ abilities to prepare for and respond to public health threats.
Led by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, the center works in partnership with academic institutions, state and local public health agencies, Tribal organizations, and community stakeholders.
Goals
- Increase the use of evidence-based strategies and interventions (EBSIs) to improve public health preparedness and response in line with the needs of the communities involved.
- Create a five-year work plan driven by the needs of communities through regular listening sessions.
- Collaborate with state, local, and Tribal health departments, as well as partners across the public health preparedness and response system to implement EBSIs.
Focus Areas
The center’s focus areas will be included in its five-year regional workplan. This community-driven plan is developed in collaboration with a regional coordinating body that includes governmental and community representatives.
Potential focus areas include:
- Infectious disease risks, such as zoonotic threats to agricultural workers.
- The impact of climate change on weather-related disasters in rural and urban communities.
- Environmental exposures in work, home, and recreational settings.
- Unique challenges faced by Tribal communities and urban Indigenous populations.
