As Virginia hospitals continue to serve as frontline providers in the COVID-19 global pandemic, a new national ranking lists the commonwealth as one of the states best prepared to respond to public health emergencies when they arise.Virginia is tied for second among states in overall emergency preparedness rating in the recently released 2020 National Health Security Preparedness Index report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Colorado School of Public Health.

“It is gratifying to see Virginia’s hard work recognized in the 2020 National Health Security Preparedness Index report,” said Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association Emergency Preparedness Director Kelly Parker. “None of us ever wants to experience the fallout from public health emergencies, the physical and emotional toll it takes on people, or the economic damage it inflicts. Yet history shows us that major storms, viral outbreaks, and even manmade destructive events occur, unfortunately. That obligates e...