CDC's Drought Guidance: Your Public Health Resource for Understanding and Preparing for Drought in Your Community.

Are drought issues affecting your com­ munity, or could they affect your com­ munity in the future? CDC’s drought guidance, When Every Drop Counts, can help you understand how drought may impact public health in your community and how to prepare for it. Although many aspects and implications of drought have been well researched, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize that there is much to be learned about drought as it affects the health of the U.S. public. To help public health pro­ fessionals prepare for or respond to drought, CDC recognized the need for a comprehen­ sive, public health–focused guidance docu­ ment on drought. As a first step toward developing the docu­ ment, CDC’s National Center for Environmen­ tal Health (NCEH) formed a working group of both internal and external subject-matter experts representing all levels of public health, environmental protection, and water-related sciences. This group determined the types of drought-related information to include in the drought guidance. To consolidate existing information about the public health effects of drought and iden­ tify future research needs and next steps, CDC and its partners sponsored the “Public Health Effects of Drought” workshop in September 2008. This workshop hosted participants from • federal, state, and local public health; • environmental engineering and science; • coastal ecology; • regulatory engineering; • water-related research; • risk communication; • water systems management; and • emergency management. Workshop participants identified and pri­ oritized drought-related public health issues, identified research gaps and needs in the area of public health as it relates to drought, and developed recommendations to ensure that the nation’s public health system is better pre­ pared for drought. Participants also engaged in discussions and shared personal experiences with drought within their regions, including lessons learned, best practices, and challenges. The publication resulting from these efforts, When Every Drop Counts: Protecting Public Health During Drought Conditions—a Guide for Public Health Professionals, reflects the experience and knowledge of the work­ ing group members, experts who attended the 2008 “Public Health Effects of Drought”