BMC Public Health 2006, 6:285 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/6/285 large-scale disaster. Achieving this objective fits directly with the mission of public health and recognizes the inter- action between business and community continuity. The partnership also rests on the realization that combining government and business resources increases opportuni- ties for successful emergency preparation and response. Establishing and maintaining this partnership has required that participants acknowledge and address mul- tiple challenges, including cultural differences and opera- tional constraints, such as concerns about the confidentiality of shared information, liability, and the limits of volunteerism. Through collaborative engage- ment in progressively more complex projects, the partners have made considerable progress in overcoming these obstacles. As a result of the partnership, essential relation- ships have been established, substantial private resources and capabilities have been engaged in government prepar- edness programs, and a model for collaborative SNS mass dispensing has been developed, tested, and slated for expansion. The lessons learned from this collaboration in Georgia should be considered by other government and business leaders seeking to develop similar partnerships. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests. JB serves as a consultant to the Georgia Division of Public Health, and RB has been an active proponent of public health and business partnerships in metropolitan Atlanta, including serving as the co-chair of the Business- Public Health Partnership Roundtable, organized under the auspices of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs of the Georgia Institute of Technology Authors' contributions JB was the lead investigator and lead author of this report and was involved in all aspects of project development, study design, and implementation, including conducting interviews, analyzing interview notes, and interpreting the study results. EW contributed to study design and imple- mentation, including conducting interviews, analysis and interpretation of findings, and report preparation. RB pro- vided expertise in public-private partnerships and emer- gency preparedness, and she contributed to the development of study objectives, study design, interpreta- tion of results, and report preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Additional material Additional file 1 Partnership history. This document provides a brief history of the part- nership between the Metro Atlanta Region of the Business Executives for National Security and the Division of Public Health of the Georgia Department of Human Resources. Click here for file [http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/supplementary/1471- 2458-6-285-S1.doc] Additional file 2 Study participants. This document provides the names, titles, and affili- ations of the people interviewed in the case study investigation. Click here for file [http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/supplementary/1471- 2458-6-285-S2.doc] Additional file 3 Interview questions. This document lists the questions that the interview- ers asked of the study participants. Click here for file [http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/supplementary/1471- 2458-6-285-S3.doc] Acknowledgements This project was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Officer Grant #B2006-1), which supported JB and EW. RB was supported by a grant from the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation to the Rollins School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. Members of the project advisory group included representatives of the Metro Atlanta Region, Business Executives for National Security: Conrad "Connie" Busch, Jr., APR, Director, John H. H. Turner, III, Director and Program Manager of the Georgia Business Force, and Anthony Begando, CEO Tenon Consulting Solutions and BENS member; and representatives of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, Trauma, and Public Health Preparedness, Division of Public Health, Georgia Department of Human Resources: J. Patrick O'Neal, MD, Medical Director, Calita Richards, PharmD, MPH, State Strategic National Stockpile & CHEMPACK Coordi- nator, Lee Smith, Bioterrorism Program Coordinator. References 1. United States General Accounting Office: Bioterrorism, Public Health Response to Anthrax Incidents of 2001. GAO-04-152 [http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04152.pdf]. issued October 2003 2. United States Government Accountability Office: Bioterrorism, Information on Jurisdictions' Expenditure and Reported Obligation of Program Funds. GAO-05-239 [http://www.gao.gov/ new.items/d05239.pdf]. issued February 2005 3. Health Resources and Services Administration: National Bioter- rorism Hospital Preparedness Program. [http:// www.hrsa.gov/bioterrorism/]. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Cooperative Agree- ment Guidance for Public Health Emergency Preparedness. [http://www.bt.cdc.gov/planning/guidance05]. issued July 1, 2005 5. 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