This is the third in a series of emergency preparedness and biological agent articles published in Family Security Matters, a blog dedicated to engaging families in our Nation’s Security and emergency preparedness. The article includes information based on the author’s book: “Unready: TO ERR IS HUMAN, The Other Neglected side of Hospital Safety and Securityâ€, a critical overview of the current state of readiness to support healthcare provision in the face of natural and man made disasters. This and subsequent articles include material for the most recent book titled “Deadly Neglect: Act of God vs. Apathy and Denialâ€.

It underscores the existing threats posed by recent proliferation of bio-labs and internal and external threats posed by to increasing access to to deadly biological agents. This contributes to the current characterization of the Public Heath and Healthcare Sector as the “weakest link in the Homeland Security Chainâ€.