STRATEGIC PLAN - ASPE - U.S. Department of Health and Human ...

CHAPTER 3: Public Health Promotion and Protection, Disease Prevention,and Emergency PreparednessEmergency Preparedness,Prevention, and ResponsePublic Health/Medical EmergenciesThe last several years have seen an increased emphasison preparing for and responding to public healthemergencies. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacksand the anthrax incidents later that year generatedsignificant change at the Federal, State, and locallevels in terms of public health law, infrastructure,programming, and coordination to address preparednessand response issues. Infectious disease outbreaks suchas SARS and the fear of an influenza pandemic have onlyamplified interest in public health preparedness.The range of potential public health emergencies isbroad—terrorist attacks using chemical, biological,radiological, and nuclear agents; emergingand reemerging infectious diseases; accidentalcontamination of food and water supplies; andnatural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes,and tornadoes. The varying nature and scope ofpublic health emergencies requires an all-hazardsapproach to planning and response.Preparedness at All LevelsHHS serves as the primary agency for EmergencySupport Function (ESF)-8— preparedness andresponse to the health consequences of disasters,including terrorist incidents involving weapons of massdestruction—under the National Response Plan (NRP).The NRP is designed to engage the response assets ofmultiple public and private partners and bring themto bear in a coordinated way at one or a few incidentsites. HHS conducts the ESF-8 activities in support ofthe Federal incident management system, led by theU.S. Department of Homeland Security in its role asthe domestic incident manager, pursuant to HomelandSecurity Presidential Directives and the HomelandSecurity Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296).Carrying out HHS’s responsibility as the primaryagency for medical and public health preparednessrequires the diverse and unique skills of scientists,public health experts, and health care providers atAHRQ, CDC, FDA, HRSA, NIH, OCR, OD, and SAMHSA.Given the complexity of and need for coordinationaround these preparedness activities, HHS has createda coordination and oversight function for emergencypreparedness within the Office of the Secretary. TheOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Preparednessand Response (ASPR) focuses the activities ofthese operating and staff divisions, develops andcoordinates national policies and plans, providesprogram oversight, and is the Secretary’s public healthemergency representative to other Federal, State, andlocal organizations.Although significant preparedness activities areundertaken at the Federal level, States and localities areprimarily responsible for responding to public healthemergencies in their jurisdictions. HHS conductsbasic and applied research to improve planning for andservice provision in public health emergencies. HHSalso offers technical assistance, guidance, and fundingsupport to State and local governments to aid in thedevelopment and implementation of public healthemergency preparedness plans.Framework for PreparednessHHS leads the Federal public health and medicalemergency response to acts of terrorism or nature andto other public health and medical emergencies. ASPRis responsible for ensuring that HHS’s family of agencieswork together to develop public health and medicalpreparedness and response capabilities and that theylead and coordinate the relevant activities of the HHSoperating divisions.84 HHS Strategic Plan FY 2007-2012