The Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP) is charged with coordinating the planning activities related to protecting the health of the public during an emergency, including planning, surveillance, risk communications, and community outreach, and education. OPHP serves as a portal to information regarding emergency preparedness for residents, employers, healthcare providers, and others.
Through close coordination with other divisions within the Commission such as Communicable Disease Control, Environmental Health, the DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness, and Emergency Medical Services, OPHP facilitates emergency planning for key public health and health care organizations in the city who would be part of response during a disaster.
As part of this planning effort, OPHP collaborates with area hospitals, community health centers, Emergency Medical Services, state and local public health departments, and other public safety partners to plan responses to a variety of emergencies ranging from an attack with weapons of mass destruction to a natural disaster.
OPHP is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.