The SDDOH is an active member of the MAA. The mission of the Mid America Alliance is to provide a framework for mutual assistance among states during a situation that stresses one individual state’s resources but does not initiate a governor declared state of emergency. Composed of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming; the Mid America Alliance will establish a system by which neighboring states can share services, resources, and information to efficiently address the needs of citizens during a public health emergency.
The Mid America Alliance (MAA) is the largest coalition of states in the country working on development of formal mutual aid arrangements between states for the sharing of resources during public health crises. Such mechanisms will be available below the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) level as well as to supplement EMAC when it is implemented. Geographically the MAA includes approximately 865,000 square miles, which is roughly 24% of the total land area of the U.S. The population is about 23 million with over 40% residing in rural areas, one-fifth of those living in frontier counties (less than 7 persons per square mile).
The MAA structure consists of a large advisory group with representatives from all 10 states that meet periodically via conference calls. Five work groups have been established, each with a representative from each of the 10 states, and are currently working on various aspects of interstate public health collaboration (legal issues, public health laboratories, epidemiology, shared resources and public health training).
Objectives
Going Beyond the Emergency Management Assistance Compact
The MAA is building an infrastructure for planning and providing interstate public health mutual aid within a 10-state region. We are currently identifying public health resources (personnel, assets and services) that can be offered by one or more states for the benefit of their neighbors in the event of a situation that stresses one state’s public health resources but does not rise to the level of a Governor-declared state emergency.
