The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) recently released its report on approaches to use to maintain essential health functions in the event a massive health ‘disaster’ impacts this country. The National Health Security Strategy of the United States of America is a 48-page document, which outlines emergency preparedness as it relates to individuals, communities, health care entities and providers, as well as both the government and business sectors. The development of this health security strategy derives its statutory basis from Section 2802 of the Public Health Service Act. In the development of this national strategy, HHS sought to include diverse stakeholders, who represented states, localities, territories, tribes, community organizations, private companies, academia and governmental agencies [federal, state and local].
Within the Strategy, there is a definition of a health event as being either a pandemic outbreak of a disease, or as a result of a terrorist attack, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and/or terrorism, which could include the use of weapons of mass destruction. It further defines national health security as being achieved when the Nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, respond effectively to, and able to recover from incidents with potentially negative health consequences [p.2].
One of the primary intents of the document is to encourage individuals, as well as the entities identified, to prepare in advance in order to maintain essential key elements/functions during a national health security event. These include the need to develop protocols and processes to handle the surge of patients, to address the use of technology within in non-acute settings, such as the home, to implement portable electronic health records that can be transitioned across the care continuum and to address the mental health and psychological support needs of victims, as well as that of the care givers/providers. The strategy also clearly identifies the relationship between national security, homeland security and national health security.
The framework of the National Health Security Strategy has established both goals and objectives. The two goals identified are to:
- build community resilience and
- strengthen and sustain health and emergency response systems.
These overriding goals are achievable through meeting the ten strategic objectives detailed in the document.
- Foster informed, empowered individuals and communities
- Develop and maintain the workforce needed for national health security
- Ensure situational awareness
- Foster integrated, scalable health care delivery systems
- Ensure timely and effective communications
- Promote an effective countermeasures enterprise
- Ensure prevention or mitigation of environmental and other emerging threats to health
- Incorporate post-incident health recovery into planning and response
- Work with cross-border and global partners to enhance national, continental and global health security
- Ensure that all systems that support national health security are based upon the best available science, evaluation and quality improvement methods [p.5].
The National Health Security Strategy [NHSS] document also addresses the home care provider’s importance to emergency care delivery, in that home care currently uses technology, i.e., telehealth/telemonitoring to manage care and make decisions. This use and knowledge of how it functions could prove to be essential during a national health event. Expansion of remote tracking technology to enable responders to better evaluate the threat potential, as well as manage and improve the post event outcomes is also recommended in this document. The home care provider also has the benefit of having an up to date, hands-on knowledge of the community, its populations, including cultural and vulnerable populations, and professional resources available for accessing during a national health event.
Preparation, prevention and minimization of a national health security event is the three-prong approach supported by this document. For details and access to this 48-page document, please go to http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opsp/nhss/nhss0912.pdf. The document is available for download at that web address.
Reference:
National Health Security Strategy of the United States of America. December 2009. Retrieved on January 20, 2010 from http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opsp/nhss/nhss0912.pdf |
