Cadmus’ evidence-based tools, training, and guidance enable airport staff to better prepare for, mitigate, and respond to public health emergencies
Cadmus’ public health and resilience experts partnered with the National Academy of Sciences to help small and regional airports nationwide prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Through our work with the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), we developed evidence-based tools, training, and guidance that enable airport staff to better prepare for, mitigate, and respond to public health emergencies. Below are several ways Cadmus has supported ACRP and regional airports in strengthening their preparedness and response capabilities.
- Collaborate with airport stakeholders. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Cadmus has partnered with airport executives, state and local government officials, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials, security personnel, and other frontline staff to understand the most pressing public health challenges facing small and regional airports. Through dozens of stakeholder interviews, surveys, site visits, regulatory reviews, and independent research, we built a detailed picture of gaps and capabilities across airports nationwide. These insights inform strategic initiatives designed to strengthen preparedness and leverage existing resources.
- Identify solutions for challenging problems. Communicable disease risks affect not only travelers, but also airport staff, security personnel, maintenance crews, and tenants located in the airports. Ensuring workforce safety, an issue highlighted by the pandemic, is a top priority for any airport. Our analysis identified key findings essential for improving public health preparedness and resilience. For example, early detection and the use of pre-travel testing during high-risk periods are highly effective mitigation measures, yet many small airports lack the logistics to rapidly implement them. To address this, Cadmus developed customizable exercise guides that help airports test their capabilities, identify gaps, and implement improvements to strengthen their overall public health security.
- Develop actionable tools. Working with ACRP, Cadmus helped develop practical, evidence-based tools and best practices to support communicable disease preparedness. These materials—available through the Airports and Communicable Diseases: Preparedness and Response website—offer targeted, specific guidance for airport management, stakeholders, and travelers on reducing disease transmission risks and recognizing imminent and emerging incidents.
