It is critical for environmental health professionals who collaborate in preparedness, response, and recovery to maintain situational awareness of national and state protections for keeping people safe and healthy during a crisis. Tracking health security status and progress before disaster strikes can help identify strengths, opportunities, and potential partners to build resilience and prioritize resource needs for practitioners and policy makers alike. This panel presentation will highlight the National Health Security Preparedness Index ("the Index"), an important mechanism for monitoring these issues. Panelists from the Index Program Office, the National Environmental Health Association, and the National Conference of State Legislatures will share 2019 findings related to environmental and occupational health protections, demonstrate tools that can help users take a deeper dive into drivers and potential solutions to environmental health preparedness challenges, and discuss implications for environmental health professionals and state policy makers.