The economic crisis could seriously affect the nation’s ability to handle possible bioterrorist attacks, a pandemic, or a natural disaster and could cause difficulties to distribute stockpiled medicine and vaccines needed in case of disaster. If emergency medical supplies are not distributed in time or if hospital can’t handle a huge number of patients, the result could be more deaths and illnesses, Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, said.

A recent report, released Tuesday by the Trust for America’s Health, assesses states’ readiness to meet public health emergencies, such as 2008's salmonella outbreak associated with jalapeno peppers, hurricanes, floods and wildfires. The report, entitled “Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism,” rates states in 10 categories of emergency preparedness.

On the one hand, states have shown progress toward public health preparedness but the authors of the report say that cuts in state budgets for public health services could lead to a disaster for medical progress.

Georgia, for example, received a passing grade for its readiness to distribute stockpiled medicine and vaccines during a pandemic or terrorist attack. The report found that Georgia has “adequate plans” to dole out emergency medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile in case of a disaster, but there are gaps that still remain.

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Georgia last in being prepared to distribute medicine and vaccines from the national stockpile.

According to the report, 29 states scored lower than Georgia and 22 scored better. Louisiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin received higher scores, while states with the lowest scores were Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Montana and Nebraska. Some states, such as Colorado, Florida and Maine, have minimal doses of antiviral drugs to give to their residents, the report found.

States that got the lowest scores were found lacking on measures such as a disease surveillance system compatible with the national system, identifying a pathogen responsible for food-borne disease outbreaks at a rate at or above the national average, laws that limit liability for businesses, non-profit organizations and health care workers that serve in a public health emergency. Other problems cited include failing to have an intrastate courier system for 24-hour lab analysis; not having an Internet-based disease surveillance system compatible with the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and not having a state medical reserve corps coordinator.

However, the trust said “significant progress” has been made since the federal government began giving states and hospitals billions of dollars in 2002. The states’ plans to distribute emergency vaccines, antidotes and medications from federal stockpiles in an emergency are good, the trust said. The authors noted that in 2005 only seven states had good plans.

All 50 states have a good plan to distribute emergency vaccines, antidotes and medications from federal stockpiles in an emergency, according to this year’s report.

Even with this progress, the level of preparation varied widely from state to state, Jeff Levi, the Trust director, said. Of the three categories, from a total of 10, cutting the budget was the greatest issue. He noted that in the coming year, 33 states would face shortfalls in the 2009 budget.