N.Y. pretty prepared in a pinch

NEW YORK leads 90% of the U.S. when it comes to being ready for emergencies, according to the National Health Security Preparedness Index.

The annual tool, out Tuesday for its fifth year, measures states’ capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies that pose health risks. Out of a perfect 10, New York scored 7.6 — up from 7.4 in 2017. Overall, the U.S. scored 7.1 — up from 6.8 a year ago. “Threats to America’s health security are on the rise, but so is our nation’s preparedness to deal with these emergencies,” said Alonzo Plough, a research expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which compiles the index with several other groups.

Alaska and Nevada both scored 6.4 — the lowest for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Meanwhile, Maryland tops the list with an 8; Virginia follows with 7.8, and Massachusetts with 7.7. New York and Vermont, which also scored 7.6, round out the top five.

The index is based on 140 measures — including flu vaccine rates, infrastructure conditions and the number of pediatricians — that provide a composite score reflecting the most comprehensive picture of health security preparedness available.