WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Managing the devastating effects of a pandemic requires effective leadership from state officials, a report from the National Governors Association said.
The NGA, the U.S. governors' lobbying group and policy-development organization, said in a report released Thursday that governors and state workforces are on the "front line of defense" for ensuring that the critical day-to-day operations of a state continue during a pandemic outbreak, according to an NGA release.
The association issued a best-practices report with planning recommendations for a pandemic and effective strategies to prevent widespread problems in the event of an outbreak.
The report, the culmination of a series of pandemic-preparedness workshops, calls on state leaders to create pandemic steering committees, assess which personnel are essential for state operations during an emergency, and develop partnerships with labor unions and the private sector to collaborate on pandemic planning, among other recommendations.
"Having smart policies in place that ensure they can continue their operations as smoothly and efficiently as possible will ultimately help save lives and restore normalcy to communities affected by the outbreak," John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center for Best Practices, said in a statement.
