An annual assessment of health security and preparedness shows the nation is relatively well-prepared for managing an emergency, and New Jersey’s preparedness is in line with the national averages.

The 2017 National Health Security Preparedness Index, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently, shows the United States scored 6.8 on a 10-point scale for preparedness based on more than 100 different measurements. New Jersey also scored 6.8 on the preparedness scale.

The measurements – ranging from flu vaccination rates to hazard planning – were separated into six different categories: incident and information management, health security surveillance, countermeasure management, environmental and occupational health, community planning and engagement and healthcare delivery.

New Jersey’s score ranked similarly or better than the national average in incident and information management (8.2), countermeasure management (7.1) and healthcare delivery (5.5). The state performed worse than the national average in health security surveillance (7.7), community planning and engagement (5.6) and environmental and occupational health (6.8).

Vermont had the highest composite score (7.8) and Alaska scored the lowest, with a composite score of 5.9.

More information on the National Health Security Preparedness Index is available on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website.