Office of Readiness and Response

About Office of Readiness and Response **At a glance** The Office of Readiness and Response (ORR) is the central coordinating body for the nation’s preparedness and response efforts. At CDC, ORR works hand-in-hand with experts in immunization, environmental health, emerging diseases, occupational safety and health, injury prevention and control, and others. We pair our emergency management knowledge with their expertise in specific topics, such as infectious diseases. **Our mission** The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Readiness and Response (ORR) is America's public health defense hub. ORR's mission is to advance the nation’s preparedness and response for public health emergencies and threats. Our staff work alongside our CDC peers, other federal partners, and state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to continuously monitor for risks to the health of communities and the nation. While a public health emergency can happen at any moment, building and sustaining a workforce with the right knowledge and skills takes time and commitment. ORR staff: - Collaborate with health departments to guide communities through public health crises. - Help fund health departments for local emergency response readiness. - Promote innovation and research for effective public health emergency response. When a concern is identified, we put decades of public health emergency expertise to work to get the right experts and resources in place to address the emergency and protect the health of Americans and people around the globe. **Values** - **Trust:** responsible, reliable public stewards dedicated to the communities we serve. - **Innovation****:** apply science, technical expertise, and innovation to improve the practice of preparedness and response. - **Integrity:** uphold the highest standards of moral and ethical principles, respect, and self-awareness. - **Excellence:** responsive, efficient, effective, and accurate in all we do. - **Health Equity:** committed to reducing health disparities and achieving equitable outcomes to improve America's readiness and response capabilities.