Final Thoughts

Protecting the homeland from terrorism has become one of the greatest challenges faced by the United States. The threats that have emerged in recent years have forced American organizations in numerous different sectors to restructure, take on new and difficult responsibilities, and reconsider their role in the community, the state, and the nation. While we have only begun to work toward adjusting to this new and unfamiliar threat environment, steps have been taken toward building the required capabilities and improving preparedness.

With the rising threat of terrorism and the realities of emerging infectious pathogens, protecting civilians has become a key component of achieving national security. Our hospitals will be our frontline of defense in providing the medical response to bioterrorist attacks and large epidemics. This reality is especially significant to rural America, which provides much of the nation’s economic vitality and critical infrastructure, but where communities are vulnerable because of dependence on isolated hospitals with limited capabilities and capacities. Old hospitals are faced with new threats for which they are not prepared. It is time to focus on the role of the rural hospital and to furnish it, its workforce, and its community with the resources necessary to address 21st century biological threats. Hopefully, this report will inform the process.