On May 10, the Dr. Robert Kadlec, the current U.S. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, authored an article on the American Medical Association website on the need for a disaster health response system. Of note, Dr. Kadlec is advocating for a shift from the current health care coalition model to a regional disaster health response system with the inclusion new partners to better meet the public health needs during disasters. Additionally, this new regional system will take a tiered approach and build upon existing capacities to address all types of disasters including diseases and chemical, biological, radiological attacks. The regional approach was also proposed as a mechanism to break down existing barriers that prevent mutual aid from flowing across jurisdictional lines. The are still many steps needed to build out the regional response system model and produce guidance on this new framework. NACCHO will continue to post updates on the new regional disaster health system framework on the Preparedness Brief blog as more information and guidance is released.
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