Every day, the Department of Health works to enhance the safety of Florida by developing the capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all threats and hazards. A key component of this effort is preparedness planning, which involves creating and maintaining plans to support public health and medical emergencies.
To ensure readiness for disaster responses, State ESF-8 coordinates the development and maintenance of plans, procedures, and resources as part of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), ensuring Florida can meet a core set of operational missions.
As the lead agency for Florida’s State Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8), Public Health and Medical Services, the Florida Department of Health is actively involved in preparedness planning.
TRAIN Florida
TRAIN Florida is an online learning management system (LMS) that provides training and other learning opportunities to public health professionals, health care, behavioral health, preparedness, and other health professionals.
Core Mission Implementation Plans
The State ESF-8 Public Health and Medical Appendix to the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) established 11 core missions for the public health and medical system during a response. Specific plans and procedures addressing the implementation of the core missions during a response are in the following categories.
| Core Mission 1 | Support local assessment and identification of public health and medical needs in impacted counties. |
| Core Mission 2 | Coordinate and support the stabilization of the public health and medical system in impacted counties. |
| Core Mission 3 | Support sheltering of persons with medical and functional needs. |
| Core Mission 4 | Monitor and coordinate resources to support the care and movement of persons with medical and functional needs in impacted counties. |
| Core Mission 5 | Support monitoring, investigating, and controlling potential or known threats and impacts to human health through surveillance, delivery of medical countermeasures and non-medical interventions. |
| Core Mission 6 | Support monitoring, investigating and controlling potential or known threats to human health of environmental origin. |
| Core Mission 7 | Develop, disseminate and coordinate accurate and timely public health and medical information. |
| Core Mission 8 | Monitor need for and coordinate resources to support fatality management services. |
| Core Mission 9 | Monitor need for and coordinate resources to support disaster behavioral health services. |
| Core Mission 10 | Support responder safety and health needs. |
| Core Mission 11 | Provide public health and medical technical assistance and support. |
State Public Health and Medical Plans
Preparedness and response plans outline authority, key stakeholders, resources, and processes to support operational coordination, mission management, and resource augmentation during public health emergencies or incidents. Some of the state-level plans include the State ESF-8 CEMP Appendix and the Public Health Emergency Management Plan.
These plans are developed using an all-hazard framework and are capability-driven. Capabilities encompass the essential skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed to perform effectively in specific roles or functions. The Florida Department of Health utilizes FEMA’s Core Capabilities and the CDC’s PHEP Capabilities.
