Illinois earns top-tier ranking for emergency preparedness in national report

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., (KBSI) — Illinois has been named a “high-performance” state for emergency preparedness in a newly released national report evaluating states’ ability to respond to public health emergencies, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The annual report from Trust for America’s Health measures preparedness for disease outbreaks, natural disasters and bioterror threats using indicators such as incident management, patient safety and health security surveillance.

Illinois moved from the middle performance tier in 2025 to the top tier this year. Only seven other states improved by a full performance tier in 2026, according to the report. Illinois previously earned high-performance rankings in 2020 and 2022.

Gov. JB Pritzker said the state has continued strengthening public health systems despite reductions in federal support.

“While we are proud to be recognized as one of the most prepared states, we remain gravely concerned about the lack of cooperation, resources and commitment to science on the federal level should there be another public health catastrophe or other disaster,” Pritzker said.

Dr. Sameer Vohra said the ranking reflects investments in emergency response systems, workforce training and public health infrastructure.

IDPH said recent preparedness efforts included a $1.5 million investment to upgrade two state hospitals into Elite Special Pathogen Treatment Centers, a $45 million investment to modernize public health data systems and the creation of a public health emergency response playbook following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department also highlighted efforts to expand vaccine access and guidance, including adopting the 2026 child and adolescent immunization schedule from the American Academy of Pediatrics and expanding pharmacy immunization access for children.

Illinois also joined the World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network after the federal government withdrew from the World Health Organization.

This year, 20 states received high-performance rankings in the report.