Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
ASPR Logo large.jpg
ASPR Logo
Agency overview
FormedDecember, 2006
HeadquartersHubert H. Humphrey Building
Washington, D.C.
Agency executive
Parent agencyUnited States Department of Health and Human Services
WebsiteOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on preparedness planning and response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters. The office provides federal support, including medical professionals through ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System, to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or disaster.

The Office was previously the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP), which was created in 2002. In 2006, the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act created ASPR in its current form in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to lead the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters.

Authority[]

Under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 (PAHPA), Public Law No. 109-417, HHS is the lead agency for the National Response Framework (NRF) for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8). The Secretary of HHS delegates to ASPR the leadership role for all health and medical services support functions in a health emergency or public health event. To meet the public information requirements of PAHPA the Public Health Emergency.gov web portal was created to serve as a single point of access to public health risk, and situational awareness information when the President or the Secretary of Health and Human Services exercise their public health emergency legal authority.

The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 307; 113th Congress) Pub.L. 113–5 (text) (PDF) improved and reauthorized the provisions of the PAHPA.[1] The primary portion of the bill dealing with this office is Section 102. Among other things, the bill requires the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, with respect to overseeing advanced research, development, and procurement of qualified countermeasures, security countermeasures, and qualified pandemic or epidemic products, to:[1]

(1) identify and minimize gaps, duplication and other inefficiencies in medical and public health preparedness and response activities and the actions necessary to overcome these obstacles;
(2) align and coordinate medical and public health grants and cooperative agreements as applicable to preparedness and response activities authorized under the Public Health Service Act;
(3) carry out drills and operational exercises to identify, inform, and address gaps in and policies related to all-hazards medical and public health preparedness; and
(4) conduct periodic meetings with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs to provide an update on, and to discuss, medical and public health preparedness and response activities.

Divisions[]

  • Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). BARDA helps companies develop medical countermeasures (vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics) to protect the U.S. from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, pandemic influenza, and infectious diseases.[2]
  • Office of Acquisition Management, Contracts, and Grants (OAMCG). Provides ASPR with acquisition support to prepare and respond to adverse health emergencies and disasters and provides contractual support to ASPR.
  • Office of Policy and Planning (OPP). Advises HHS and ASPR leadership through policy options and strategic planning initiatives to support domestic and international public health emergency preparedness and response activities.
  • Office of Financial Planning and Analysis (OFPA). Responsible for providing expertise and analysis in the formulation and implementation of policies, procedures, and operational strategies that ensure efficient and effective allocation and utilization of program resources in support of ASPR’s mission.
  • Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO). Responsible for ensuring effective stakeholder communication and administrative management. As the focal point for external communications, the Office of the Chief Operating Officer is responsible for ensuring the effective management of public affairs, online governance, and strategic partnerships.[3]
  • Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Responsible for developing operational plans, analytical products, and training exercises to ensure the preparedness of the Office, the Department, the Federal Government and the public to respond to and recover from domestic and international public health and medical threats and emergencies.[4]

Activities[]

The ASPR is the Secretary's principal advisor on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. They are responsible for coordinating interagency activities between HHS, other Federal departments, agencies, offices and State and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The ASPR also works closely with global partners to address common threats around the world, enhancing national capacities to detect and respond to such threats, and to learn from each other’s experiences as another step toward national health security for the United States and other countries.[5]

The United States National Response Framework (NRF) is part of the National Strategy for Homeland Security that presents the guiding principles enabling all levels of domestic response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies. Building on the existing National Incident Management System (NIMS) as well as Incident Command System (ICS) standardization, the NRF's coordinating structures are always in effect for implementation at any level and at any time for local, state, and national emergency or disaster response.

Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise[]

The Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) is an interagency coordinating body lead by the ASPR. It coordinates the development, acquisition, stockpiling, and recommendations for using medical countermeasures to deal with public health emergencies.[6] Along with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), it includes internal HHS partners at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with external inter-agency partners at the Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Manhattan Project for Biodefense[]

In July 2019, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense announced a new idea to improve U.S. national security against bioterrorism: a "Manhattan Project for Biodefense." The idea is a "proposed national, public-private research and development undertaking that would defend the United States against biological threats" and is publicly supported by retired U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, the co-chair of the panel, and Robert Kadlec, former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. Kadlec remarked, “We highly endorse such an endeavor in the sense of it’s time to say, ‘Go big or go home’ on this issue."[7]

History[]

The Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness was established in June 2002 at the request of Tommy Thompson.

Its scope of activity included preparedness for bioterrorism, chemical and nuclear attack, mass evacuation and decontamination.[8]

The first head of OPHEP was Donald Henderson, credited with having previously eradicated Smallpox. Soon Jerry Hauer, a veteran public health expert, took over as director, with Henderson taking a different role in the department. Hauer was removed from the job primarily for conflicts he had with Scooter Libby over whether the risks of smallpox vaccination were worth the benefit. Hauer charged that the Office of the Vice President was pushing for the universal vaccination despite the vaccine's health risks, primarily exaggerate the risk of biological terrorism.

In July 2006, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act with respect to public health security and all-hazards preparedness and response was introduced. On December 19, 2006 it became public law and OPHEP was officially changed to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

RADM W. Craig Vanderwagen, M.D., was sworn into office on March 27, 2007 as the first Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and recently retired.

RADM Nicole Lurie, MD, MSPH served as the ASPR until January 20, 2017. Dr. George Korch currently serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "H.R. 307". United States Congress. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority". Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  3. ^ "HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response". Phe.gov. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  4. ^ "Office of Emergency Management". Phe.gov. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  5. ^ "International Preparedness and Response". Phe.gov. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
  6. ^ ""Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise"". www.phe.cov. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  7. ^ Riley, Kim (2019-07-12). "Experts support a future Manhattan Project for Biodefense to thwart new threats". Homeland Preparedness News. Retrieved 2019-10-05.
  8. ^ "Health Care: Public Health Emergency Preparedness". archive.ahrq.gov.

External links[]

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