1197: Building Public Health Infrastructure for the Next Emergency

South Carolina is investing in public health infrastructure designed not just to meet today’s needs, but to prepare for the next crisis. Brannon Traxler, acting director for the South Carolina Department of Public Health, and an ASTHO member discusses the state’s new public health and environmental laboratory, built to replace an aging facility that struggled to handle the demands of COVID-19 testing and modern laboratory equipment. The new lab is one of a small number of CDC Laboratory Response Network Level 1 facilities capable of high-volume surge testing for chemical threats and other emergencies.Hurricane Response and Recovery | ASTHOHow Hurricane Ian Led to South Carolina’s New System for Natural Disaster Response | ASTHOThe traditional respiratory virus season hasn’t started, but Covid is already climbing | CNN