Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
ASPR Logo
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| Formed | December, 2006 |
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| Parent agency | United States Department of Health and Human Services |
| Website | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response |
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the United States Department of Health and Human Services was created under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to lead the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. ASPR focuses on preparedness planning and response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters. The office provides federal support, including medical professionals through ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System, to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or disaster.
Under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 (PAHPA),Public Law No. 109-417, HHS is the lead agency for the National Response Framework (NRF) for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8). The Secretary of HHS delegates to ASPR the leadership role for all health and medical services support function in a health emergency or public health event. To meet the public information requirements of PAHPA the Public Health Emergency.gov web portal was created to serve as a single point of access to public health risk, and situational awareness information when the President or the Secretary of Health and Human Services exercise their public health emergency legal authority.
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 307; 113th Congress) Pub.L. 113–5 improved and reauthorized the provisions of the PAHPA. The primary portion of the bill dealing with this office is Section 102. Among other things, the bill requires the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, with respect to overseeing advanced research, development, and procurement of qualified countermeasures, security countermeasures, and qualified pandemic or epidemic products, to:
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