All five of the state’s Emergency Planning and Preparedness Regions have received national recognition for their ability to respond to public health emergencies, the state Department of Public Health announced today.

Project Public Health Ready, a partnership between the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control, has cited Connecticut and three other states for meeting preparedness benchmarks that measure the ability to plan for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies. In honor of the recognition, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proclaimed Wednesday Public Health Ready Day.

In a news release, Robert Pestronk, executive director of the association, called Connecticut “a model of public health emergency preparedness.”

Public Health Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen said local health departments have played essential roles in helping the state recover from recent natural disasters.

“Over the past two years, our resilience as a state has been tested numerous times in the face of natural disasters,” Mullen said. “The investment they have made in planning, training and exercising in conjunction with other preparedness partners has significantly enhanced their readiness to respond to an array of public health emergencies.”

Southeastern County is in Emergency Planning and Preparedness Region 4, which is under the oversight of the Ledge Light Health District, the public health agency for East Lyme, Groton, Ledyard, New London and Waterford.

For more information, visit http://www.naccho.org/PPHR.