Threats to public health are always present. Whether caused by natural, accidental, or intentional means, these threats can lead to the onset of public health incidents. Being prepared to prevent, respond to, and rapidly recover from an incident is critical for protecting and securing our state's and our nation's public health. Regardless of the threat, an effective public health response begins with robust public health systems in place to conduct routine public health activities.

Emergency preparedness and response involves all areas of the public health agency. South Carolina is unique among other states, in that the state's public health agency is also the state's hospital and health facility regulatory agency. There are diverse, complex functions that must be coordinated in order to respond rapidly and successfully to an act of bioterrorism, a serious epidemic, a hurricane or other public health incident. Emergency management and response functions are integrated into each program and into each employee's job duties. These functions must be coordinated with the other state agencies and organizations involved in emergency preparedness and operations. This is done largely through joint planning and exercises carried out under the State Emergency Operations Plan.