A public health crisis constitutes a health-related demand affecting at least a social group, which can potentially lead to the collapse of healthcare delivery structures. Public health crises possess both temporal and spatial characteristics. We can distinguish between event-related (incidental) and developing (emerging) health crises. In Germany, there are different regulations for major damage events and waves of infection. Both in science and in practice, comprehensive concepts for preparing for public health crises in the sense of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) are lacking. This is particularly significant because the especially vulnerable group of chronically ill individuals, who are continuously dependent on the healthcare system, are particularly affected by health crises.