National Health Security Strategy of the USA (HHS) - Excerpt

[This is from the pdf at the end of the previous post]

Our Nation, like all countries, faces many threats with the potential for large-scale health consequences, including disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and terrorist attacks. Preparing for and responding to these and other threats requires the commitment of, and cooperation among, all segments of society: government, the
private sector, local communities, and international partners.

This document presents the Nation’s first National Health Security Strategy (NHSS), which is intended to help galvanize efforts to minimize the health consequences associated with significant health incidents.1 The NHSS was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from local,
state, territorial, tribal, and federal government; community-based organizations; private-sector firms; and academia. The statutory authority and requirements for the NHSS are provided under section 2802 of the Public Health Service Act.
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Excerpt:

7. Ensure prevention or mitigation of environmental and other emerging threats to health
The increasing mobility and density of human populations increase the odds of disease spread by bringing people more in contact with new environments and with each other. Many common pathogens that come from such environmental sources as food, water, and air undoubtedly account for more of the overall burden of disease than do novel pathogens or, to date, those intentionally spread through bioterrorism. Improved information sharing is needed across the human, animal, and food/agricultural sectors. It is important to develop and use these sources of information to maintain comprehensive situational awareness (as discussed in strategic objective 3) and inform actions to mitigate the effects of both acute and longer-term environmental and other emerging threats to health.32 Information about disease risks, environmental threats (e.g., to water and air quality), and food safety should be widely disseminated.

The public health system needs to be able to fully leverage the resources of and be fully coordinated with those organizations and individuals responsible for food safety,
environmental protection, and workplace safety. Improvements are required in monitoring emerging infectious agents, including zoonotic and agricultural disease threats and their effects on health; providing adequate biosafety and biosecurity; conducting surveillance of disease vectors; and mitigating any health impacts of climate change. Efforts are also needed to modernize food, plant, and animal safety systems, including mitigation of vulnerabilities at critical production and processing nodes, and to improve screening procedures and protection of the food supply and food products from intentional and unintentional contamination.

Enhancements are also needed to protect the environment and the safety and health of responders, including procedures to protect responders and the general workforce from existing and emerging workplace hazards. Procedures for evacuation, shelter in place, and response and recovery should also be improved.
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Roles and Responsibilities
Achieving national health security is ultimately the shared responsibility of all organizations (both governmental and non-governmental), communities, and individuals. Local, state, territorial, and tribal governments have primary authority for health security but receive support from the federal government before, during, and after incidents. The federal government also helps ensure comparable levels of health security across local jurisdictions by providing funding and guidance, developing performance measures and standards, sponsoring research, and
providing technical assistance.

But, as noted previously, a key principle of the NHSS is that other sectors—including the health care, emergency management, law enforcement, private/non governmental, and academic sectors—as well as individuals and families and the international community, all play a vital role in national health security.
For instance,18

• In the private sector, businesses should develop and practice plans for protecting their employees and ensuring business continuity.
• Critical infrastructure entities, such as power companies and other utility services, must also be engaged in planning for public health emergencies because of our society’s dependence upon their services.
• Academia can contribute to national health security through conducting research to identify best practices for national health security and providing education and training in activities necessary to ensure health security.
• Individuals and families play a critical role by developing family emergency plans, stockpiling food and water, and having available a reserve of their regular prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter medications and first aid supplies .
• Non-governmental organizations, including community-based organizations, are an
important partner in recruiting and supporting volunteers, particularly medical
professionals in activities such as dispensing countermeasures and providing medical care to casualties as needed.
• The international community plays a key role in surveillance, detection, and communication of health security threats to their own nations, which may also pose a threat to our Nation.

Each of these actors is critical in ensuring the Nation’s health security. Specific roles and responsibilities of each sector will be outlined in greater detail in the forthcoming Implementation Plan.