Study: Md., Va. among best prepared for health emergency

Marylandand Virginia were among the top-ranking states in preparedness for a health emergency, according to a study conducted by two national nonprofits that examined 10 key factors of emergency preparedness. The District was judged to be understaffed for a long-term outbreak ranked in the middle of the pack. Released Tuesday, the eighth annual “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism” report considered categories such as funding commitment, incident response and disease detection and reporting. Maryland and Virginia were among the 11 states that received a score of nine. The District scored a seven; no state scored lower than a five. The study is available at http://healthyamericans.org/reports/bioterror10. Anna Waugh