A Strategy for Improving the National Medical and Public Health Surge Capacity
Abstract
After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and the anthrax letters in October of that year there were significant efforts to improve the national public health infrastructure. In May 2003 the Federal Government sponsored a coordinated federal state and local exercise entitled Top Officials II (TOPOFF II). It was designed to exercise and test the coordinated public health and medical response to multiple geographically dispersed disaster events. Significant deficiencies in the public health and medical response to catastrophes persisted. The White House then directed the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop a strategy for improving the nation's medical and public health surge capacity to deal with the medical consequences of a terrorist attack. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of current strategic efforts suggests several additional strategies to ensure immediate and long-term improvements and proposes a medical surge capacity network utilizing Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense assets that can provide the nation a specialized bioterrorism capability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 19, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA424415
Entities
People
- Jeffrey E. Short
Organizations
- United States Army War College