The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is a staff division within the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ASPR leads the nation’s efforts to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to and recover from the adverse health effects of public health incidents. ASPR focuses on preparedness planning and response; federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies and medical disasters. ASPR also provides federal support, including medical professionals through its National Disaster Medical System, to augment state and local capabilities during an incident.
ASPR aims to better identify and address gaps in coordinated patient care during disasters through the establishment and maturation of a Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS). The primary objectives of the RDHRS are to:
1. Improve bidirectional communication and situational awareness of the medical needs and issues of the response between health care organizations and local, state, regional, and federal partners;
2. Leverage, build, or augment the highly specialized clinical capabilities critical to unusual hazards or catastrophic events; and
3. Augment the horizontal (whole of community) integration of key stakeholders that comprise health care coalitions with readily accessible and clinical capabilities that are largely missing from the current configuration of such coalitions.
Deadline: Sep. 11, 2020