SESSION DESCRIPTION

 

The mission of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats.  Preparing and readying hospitals and healthcare systems in the face of these threats is a critical component. The nation’s healthcare is almost exclusively a private sector function, but with public responsibilities during a disaster. Healthcare system capacity is stretched thin on a daily basis, and the specific challenges of planning for a large-scale incident involving critical care, burn care, pediatric care, high consequence infectious disease management, or radiation exposure treatment require rapid engagement of subject matter experts into decision-making and a robust understanding and leveraging of area resources. ASPR aims to better leverage existing programs to build a Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS). This session will describe the concept of a RDHRS and ASPR’s role in partnering with the healthcare community to strengthen healthcare preparedness across the nation.

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES​

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• Describe the critical elements of ASPR’s mission relevant to healthcare system preparedness

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• Understand the key concepts of a Regional Disaster Health Response System

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• Identify key opportunities for how the healthcare sector can partner with ASPR to strengthen the nation’s healthcare preparedness