South Dakota is followed closely by Louisiana, which is in second place with a score of 97.9. While the state has slightly fewer hospitals per capita, it boasts one of the highest numbers of available doctors (302.5 per 100K) and a strong supply of hospital beds (299.4 per 100K residents).
Mississippi, ranked third, leads the nation in hospital bed availability, with 304.7 per 100K residents. Despite a smaller medical workforce compared to other top-ranked states, its healthcare infrastructure supports a high emergency readiness score of 95.4.
We've talked about the best, now let's talk about the rest. Despite being home to several well-known healthcare institutions, many western and coastal states fell short in critical emergency-readiness metrics.
Idaho, Washington, and Utah top the list—not for excelling but for underperforming. Idaho, for instance, earned the lowest composite preparedness score of all states analyzed, largely due to its limited hospital capacity and relatively small medical workforce. Though it has 0.9 hospitals per 100,000 residents, its number of hospital beds (131.7 per 100K) and doctors (186.3 per 100K) remain on the lower end nationally.
States like Arizona, Nevada, and California also appear on the list, despite their large populations and growing demand for healthcare services. Arizona and Nevada provide better-than-average bed availability, but the number of healthcare workers per capita lags behind. While performing slightly better, Maryland, Colorado, and Oregon still struggle with emergency infrastructure or workforce shortfalls.
Texas, rounding out the list, has a high number of hospitals and hospital beds, but falls behind in terms of staffing—particularly in physicians per 100K residents. This imbalance reflects a broader issue found across many of these lower-ranked states: a growing gap between infrastructure and the professionals needed to make it function in a crisis.
The findings underline an important message. Having advanced medical technology or large urban centers doesn’t necessarily equate to emergency readiness. True preparedness depends on a well-balanced system that includes adequate facilities, sufficient medical personnel, and efficient response mechanisms.
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