Community health workers, social media networks, and local residents serve as the first line of defense against global health risks, especially infectious diseases and bioterrorism. While top-down initiatives provide essential resources to detect looming threats, including sophisticated surveillance and diagnostic tools, outbreaks are most likely to be detected first at the local level. Right now, the lines of communication that should tie governments and large-scale NGOs to people on the ground are fractured or nonexistent. How do we form partnerships that empower residents of neighborhoods and towns, in urban and rural settings, to serve as the eyes and ears of global health security?