Nonprofit Trust for America's Health released a study on how well each state is prepared for public health emergencies.

TEXAS, USA — Nonprofit Trust for America's Health released Ready or Not studies to examine the country’s level of public health emergency preparedness in each state using 10 priority indicators. The latest report was released in February 2020.

The study used those indicators to rate state's prevention and emergency readiness programs. While the final rating may not reflect the full effectiveness of states’ public health departments or capacities, it can be useful to see how states compare and where they can improve. Here's how Texas did with some of the indicators.

Regional Coalitions

The report states the Federal Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) provides grants to states, localities, and territories to develop regional coalitions of healthcare organizations that collaborate to prepare for, and in many cases respond to, medical surge events.

The report said 80 percent of Texas hospitals participate in healthcare coalitions. However, around 40 states have a higher score and many are at 100 percent participation.

Accreditation

The report claimed most states in the U.S. are accredited by one or both of two well-regarded bodies: The Public Health Accreditation Board and the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. Both programs provide standards for a state agency to measure itself against. Nine states are not accredited by either program. Texas is one of those nine states.

Funding Trends

The study found most states held their public health funding steady or increased it in fiscal year 2019, but 11 reduced funding. Texas increased funding by 8 percent in 2019. It was tied for 12th place on largest increases from the previous year compared to other states.

Paid Time Off

The report found just half of workers in each state, on average, had access to some kind of paid time off. The more workers who have the option to take off work if they are sick, the less likely they are to share that sickness with the rest of the company.

The study claimed, in Texas, 68 percent of workers have access to some kind of paid time off option and ranks Texas highest of all states in this category.

Patient Safety in Hospitals

The study bases this measurement off of scores from The Leapfrog Group, which calculates hospital safety scores using 28 metrics according to the study. It states, "the measures are especially critical for health systems’ readiness for emergencies and outbreak prevention and control, which includes workforce training and availability, surge capacity, and infection-control practices."

In Texas, only 30 percent of hospitals got an A from The Leapfrog Group for "Hospital Patient Safety." While low, the score was actually the 16th highest among all states.