MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A new report by the highly respected Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says Tennessee is one of the states best prepared to deal with a public health crisis such as the ongoing Ebola epidemic.
Tennessee received top marksin eight-out-of-ten public health preparedness categories, tying with seven other state for the nation’s best scores.
Tennessee received a passing grade in areas such as emerging threat preparedness, food safety, vaccinations, and public health funding. The report suggests Tennessee should pay more attention to infections acquired in healthcare facilities, and in preparations for climate change.
It was Tennessee that alerted the nation in 2012 that tainted steroids were likely causing a rash of meningitis cases. That outbreak ultimately sickened more than 700 people nationwide and resulted in 64 deaths, including 16 in Tennessee.