Community Disaster Response Network (CDRN)
The Community Disaster Response Network (CDRN) is a cross-sector partnership model built to strengthen public health disaster preparedness and response capacity in the rural and aging communities across HHS Region 7. Developed by the CDC-funded Region 7 Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) Center, the CDRN is designed to connect public health agencies, healthcare, emergency management, aging services and rural support organizations across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.
Why it Matters?
Region 7 is home to more than 14 million people, and the challenges of protecting that population do not follow state lines. All four states in the region exceed the national average for rural population. Nebraska and Kansas rank among the top ten states nationally for frontier population, defined as communities located more than 60 minutes from the nearest city of 50,000. Every state in the region is aging, with adults 65 and older comprising roughly 17% of the population.
Public health emergencies, from disease outbreaks to severe weather events, consistently expose the same vulnerability: rural communities and older adults face some of the greatest barriers to preparedness and the slowest path to recovery.
Rural and frontier communities face distinct barriers to preparedness:
- Longer response and transport times
- Smaller workforces stretched across multiple roles
- Limited access to specialized training and technical assistance
- Reduced visibility in state and regional planning processes
Older adults face their own set of vulnerabilities, including higher rates of chronic illness and disability, greater dependence on home and community-based services, and increased risk of isolation during and after a disaster. In Region 7, where nearly 17% of the population is 65 or older and rural aging is accelerating, these two challenges are deeply intertwined.
These combined factors present many opportunities and shared challenges. The CDRN is designed to create a durable, community-rooted network that strengthens the public health preparedness infrastructure in rural areas and ensures that older adults across our region aren’t left behind when disaster strikes.
How it works
- Local and tribal public health departments
- Healthcare coalitions and rural health systems
- Emergency management agencies
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Aging services and home- and community-based care providers
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Agricultural and rural support organizations
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Community and faith-based organizations
These organizations have deep roots in the communities most vulnerable to disaster. They know who lives there, what resources exist, and where the gaps are. The CDRN creates a structure for that knowledge to inform regional preparedness planning, not just local response.
The network is built around a community listening model — meaning the CDRN does not arrive with a predetermined solution. Instead, it begins by understanding what communities already have, what they need, and how a regional partnership can amplify local capacity rather than replace it.