Public Health Emergency Preparedness

The Manchester Health Department works with community partners to plan for and respond to a range of public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, and radiologic events. Our goal is to build a resilient community that prepares to respond and recover from disasters.

In 2025, the Manchester Health Department was recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for its ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.The Manchester Health Department demonstrated these capabilities by meeting the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PPHR recognition confirms that the Manchester Health Department has a thorough and coordinated emergency response plan in place and that staff have the training to protect the health of the community during an emergency.

What we do:

Coordinate planning and response efforts among regional emergency response partners
Facilitate training and exercises
Support our regional towns, schools, long term care facilities, and hospitals in response coordination and capacity building
Colaborate with state agencies during emergency responses
Build resliency within our community, including utilizing various volunteer groups

Greater Manchester Public Health Region

In New Hampshire, local community partners collaborate to develop regional response plans for public health emergencies.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services designates the state into Regional Public Health Networks. The Greater Manchester Public Health Region is one of thirteen regions statewide, and includes the municipalities of Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Deerfield, Goffstown, Hooksett, Manchester, and New Boston. The Manchester Health Department leads the planning and response efforts for this region.

Are you prepared?

Personal and family preparedness are important when building a resilient community. Do you have a plan for when an emergency strikes? Do you know what to have on hand?

Take action!

Be Informed!

Looking to Volunteer?

Here are some organizations that work to build a more resilent commiunity:

Greater Manchester Medical Reserve Corp

The GMMRC was established in 2008 to improve the health and safety of communities within the Greater Manchester Public Health Region (Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Deerfield, Goffstown, Hooksett, Manchester and New Boston) by preparing for and responding to emergencies and promoting healthy living throughout the year. GMMRC volunteers offer their skills and expertise during emergencies as well as community events. Members are not required to live or work in the Greater Manchester Public Health Region, as long as they are willing to participate in activities within the region.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

CERT is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training program that educates you on the hazards your community faces and prepares you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a disaster. It is their mission to educate the community on disaster preparedness and train on basic disaster response skills.

The Manchester Health Department works with the following CERT teams within our public health region:

Red Cross

Red Cross volunteers turn compassion into action. They help displaced families, provide care and comfort to ill and injuried service members or veterans, and teach others how to respond in emergencies.