Wisconsin and four other states received a “perfect 10” in a recent study of states’ preparedness in case of a health emergency.

In the sixth annual “Ready or Not?” report, Wisconsin tied for first place with Louisiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Virginia, receiving a perfect 10 out of 10.

The study was conducted by Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit organization, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which works to improve the nation’s health care.

The organizations work with experts in public health to determine 10 key indicators of public health emergency preparedness capabilities. They used publically available documents and surveyed states to determine each state’s score, according to Laura Segal, director of public affairs for Trust for America’s Health.

When enough states have met an indicator, the study drops the indicator and adds a new one the next year. This year’s indicators included the ability to distribute vaccinations, combat a flu pandemic and identify a pathogen responsible for food-borne disease outbreaks.

Wisconsin excelled in the capability to distribute vaccinations and medications during an emergency. Wisconsin also received one of the highest scores in the country for the detection of pathogens responsible for food-borne illness, according to Segal.

“I think we are better prepared now, today, than we ever have been before,” said Stephanie Smiley, spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. “With our online alerting system, we are able to get the word out around the clock on emergencies.”

Smiley also said detecting and controlling diseases is one of Wisconsin’s strengths. The department has been working with local, state and federal officials to improve the state’s preparedness. This includes exercises that are conducted to test the state’s ability to respond to an emergency.

“We are really proud of receiving the perfect 10 and especially of being one of the only states in the Midwest to receive it,” Smiley said. “We’re proud to be a leader in health preparedness in the country.”

Half of the states scored a seven or less, with most states in the six, seven and eight range. Six states received a score of five. All states, including Wisconsin, need to better their surge capacity or ability to handle an extreme amount of patients in the event of an emergency, according to Segal.

Wisconsin could also improve its store of antivirals for a flu pandemic, as the state only purchased 63 percent of the supply available to it, which is near the low end of the threshold to receive a point.

Another area where the state could improve is the vaccination of seniors.

“The state only vaccinates about 73 percent of seniors for the flu,” Segal said. “That’s a good score compared to the country, but a lot of seniors aren’t getting vaccinations.”

Smiley said the state is always looking to improve and reviews lessons from past emergencies and exercises to adapt plans so that Wisconsin is ready to handle a public health emergency.