Medical Countermeasure Readiness

Medical countermeasures, or MCMs, are life-saving medicines and medical supplies regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that can be used to diagnose, prevent, protect from, or treat conditions associated with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) threats, emerging infectious diseases or a natural disaster.

MCMs can include:

• Biologic products, such as vaccines, blood products and antibodies
• Drugs, such as antimicrobial or antiviral drugs
• Devices, including diagnostic tests to identify threat agents, and personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, respirators (face masks), and ventilators.

Cities Readiness Initiative

CDC’s Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) is a federally funded program designed to enhance preparedness in the nation’s largest population centers, where nearly 60% of the population resides, to effectively respond to large-scale public health emergencies needing life-saving medications and medical supplies. State and large metropolitan public health departments use CRI funding to develop, test, and maintain plans to quickly receive medical countermeasures from CDC’s Strategic National Stockpile and distribute them to local communities. The Strategic National Stockpile is the nation’s largest supply of medical countermeasures for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.

Participating Cities and Metropolitan Areas

The CRI project began in 2004 with 21 cities and has expanded to include a total of 72 cities and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with at least one CRI city in every state.

CRI Cities and Metropolitan Areas