This service is designed to protect everyone in North Carolina by increasing the ability of the public health system to prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. These emergencies might include acts of terrorism, disease outbreaks and natural disasters.

This service provides training, planning and technical consultation to all local health departments (LHDs); seven Public Health Regional Surveillance Teams (PHRSTs); other state agencies; hospitals; health care providers; and law enforcement, emergency management and other response partners. It works to ensure a coordinated federal, tribal, state, regional and local response to public health emergencies.

Activities include:

• Training, planning and technical consultation.
•  Exercises to evaluate response plans.
•  Laboratory services.
•  Information technology services.
• Supporting other state agencies, including the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, General Communicable Disease Control, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology, and Health Promotion.