1. (a) In general

   1. (1) Preparedness and response regarding public health emergencies Beginning in 2014 and every four years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the relevant committees of Congress a coordinated strategy (to be known as the National Health Security Strategy) and any revisions thereof, and an accompanying implementation plan for public health emergency preparedness and response. Such National Health Security Strategy shall identify the process for achieving the preparedness goals described in subsection (b) and shall be consistent with the National Preparedness Goal, the National Incident Management System, and the National Response Plan developed pursuant to section 314(6) ¹ of title 6, or any successor plan.
   2. (2) Evaluation of progress The National Health Security Strategy shall include an evaluation of the progress made by Federal, State, local, and tribal entities, based on the evidence-based benchmarks and objective standards that measure levels of preparedness established pursuant to section 247d–3a(g) of this title. Such evaluation shall include aggregate and State-specific breakdowns of obligated funding spent by major category (as defined by the Secretary) for activities funded through awards pursuant to sections 247d–3a and 247d–3b of this title.
   3. (3) Public health workforce In 2009, the National Health Security Strategy shall include a national strategy for establishing an effective and prepared public health workforce, including defining the functions, capabilities, and gaps in such workforce, and identifying strategies to recruit, retain, and protect such workforce from workplace exposures during public health emergencies.

2. (b) Preparedness goals The National Health Security Strategy shall include provisions in furtherance of the following:

   1. (1) Integration Integrating public health and public and private medical capabilities with other first responder systems, including through—

      1. (A) the periodic evaluation of Federal, State, local, and tribal preparedness and response capabilities through drills and exercises, including drills and exercises to ensure medical surge capacity for events without notice; and
      2. (B) integrating public and private sector public health and medical donations and volunteers.

   2. (2) Public health Developing and sustaining Federal, State, local, and tribal essential public health security capabilities, including the following:

      1. (A) Disease situational awareness domestically and abroad, including detection, identification, and investigation.
      2. (B) Disease containment including capabilities for isolation, quarantine, social distancing, and decontamination.
      3. (C) Risk communication and public preparedness.
      4. (D) Rapid distribution and administration of medical countermeasures.

   3. (3) Medical Increasing the preparedness, response capabilities, and surge capacity of hospitals, other health care facilities (including mental health and ambulatory care facilities and which may include dental health facilities), and trauma care, critical care, and emergency medical service systems, with respect to public health emergencies (including related availability, accessibility, and coordination), which shall include developing plans for the following:

      1. (A) Strengthening public health emergency medical and trauma management and treatment capabilities.
      2. (B) Fatality management.
      3. (C) Coordinated medical triage and evacuation to appropriate medical institutions based on patient medical need, taking into account regionalized systems of care.
      4. (D) Rapid distribution and administration of medical countermeasures.
      5. (E) Effective utilization of any available public and private mobile medical assets (which may include such dental health assets) and integration of other Federal assets.
      6. (F) Protecting health care workers and health care first responders from workplace exposures during a public health emergency.
      7. (G) Optimizing a coordinated and flexible approach to the medical surge capacity of hospitals, other health care facilities, critical care, trauma care (which may include trauma centers), and emergency medical systems.

   4. (4) At-risk individuals

      1. (A) Taking into account the public health and medical needs of at-risk individuals, including the unique needs and considerations of individuals with disabilities, in the event of a public health emergency.
      2. (B) For the purpose of this section and sections 247d–3a, 247d–6, and 247d–7e of this title, the term “at-risk individuals” means children, pregnant women, senior citizens and other individuals who have special needs in the event of a public health emergency, as determined by the Secretary.
   5. (5) Coordination Minimizing duplication of, and ensuring coordination between, Federal, State, local, and tribal planning, preparedness, and response activities (including the State Emergency Management Assistance Compact). Such planning shall be consistent with the National Response Plan, or any successor plan, and National Incident Management System and the National Preparedness Goal.
   6. (6) Continuity of operations Maintaining vital public health and medical services to allow for optimal Federal, State, local, and tribal operations in the event of a public health emergency.

   7. (7) Countermeasures

      1. (A) Promoting strategic initiatives to advance countermeasures to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or treat harm from any biological agent or toxin, chemical, radiological, or nuclear agent or agents, whether naturally occurring, unintentional, or deliberate.
      2. (B) For purposes of this paragraph, the term “countermeasures” has the same meaning as the terms “qualified countermeasures” under section 247d–6a of this title, “qualified pandemic and epidemic products” under section 247d–6d of this title, and “security countermeasures” under section 247d–6b of this title.

   8. (8) Medical and public health community resiliency Strengthening the ability of States, local communities, and tribal communities to prepare for, respond to, and be resilient in the event of public health emergencies, whether naturally occurring, unintentional, or deliberate by—

      1. (A) optimizing alignment and integration of medical and public health preparedness and response planning and capabilities with and into routine daily activities; and
      2. (B) promoting familiarity with local medical and public health systems.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title XXVIII, § 2802, as added Pub. L. 109–417, title I, § 103, Dec. 19, 2006, 120 Stat. 2835; amended Pub. L. 113–5, title I, § 101(a), Mar. 13, 2013, 127 Stat. 162.)

References in Text

Section 314(6) of title 6, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), was in the original “section 502(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002”, and was translated as meaning section 504(6) of Pub. L. 107–296, to reflect the probable intent of Congress and the renumbering of section 502 as 504 by Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 611(8), Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1395.

Amendments

2013—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(1), substituted “2014” for “2009”.

Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(A), inserted “, including drills and exercises to ensure medical surge capacity for events without notice” after “through drills and exercises”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(i), in introductory provisions, substituted “and ambulatory care facilities and which may include dental health facilities), and trauma care, critical care,” for “facilities), and trauma care” and inserted “(including related availability, accessibility, and coordination)” after “public health emergencies”.

Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(ii), inserted “and trauma” after “medical”.

Subsec. (b)(3)(B). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(iii), substituted “Fatality management” for “Medical evacuation and fatality management”.

Subsec. (b)(3)(C), (D). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(iv), (v), added subpar. (C) and redesignated former subpar. (C) as (D). Former subpar. (D) redesignated (E).

Subsec. (b)(3)(E). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(iv), (vi), redesignated subpar. (D) as (E) and inserted “(which may include such dental health assets)” after “medical assets”. Former subpar. (E) redesignated (F).

Subsec. (b)(3)(F). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(iv), redesignated subpar. (E) as (F).

Subsec. (b)(3)(G). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(B)(vii), added subpar. (G).

Subsec. (b)(4)(A). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(C)(i), inserted “, including the unique needs and considerations of individuals with disabilities,” after “needs of at-risk individuals”.

Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(C)(ii), inserted “the” before “purpose of this section”.

Subsec. (b)(7), (8). Pub. L. 113–5, § 101(a)(2)(D), added pars. (7) and (8).

Ex. Ord. No. 13527. Establishing Federal Capability for the Timely Provision of Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack

Ex. Ord. No. 13527, Dec. 30, 2009, 75 F.R. 737, provided:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to plan and prepare for the timely provision of medical countermeasures to the American people in the event of a biological attack in the United States through a rapid Federal response in coordination with State, local, territorial, and tribal governments.

This policy would seek to: (1) mitigate illness and prevent death; (2) sustain critical infrastructure; and (3) complement and supplement State, local, territorial, and tribal government medical countermeasure distribution capacity.

Sec. 2. United States Postal Service Delivery of Medical Countermeasures. (a) The U.S. Postal Service has the capacity for rapid residential delivery of medical countermeasures for self administration across all communities in the United States. The Federal Government shall pursue a national U.S. Postal Service medical countermeasures dispensing model to respond to a large-scale biological attack.

(b) The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, in coordination with the U.S. Postal Service, within 180 days of the date of this order, shall establish a national U.S. Postal Service medical countermeasures dispensing model for U.S. cities to respond to a large-scale biological attack, with anthrax as the primary threat consideration.

(c) In support of the national U.S. Postal Service model, the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Defense, and the Attorney General, in coordination with the U.S. Postal Service, and in consultation with State and local public health, emergency management, and law enforcement officials, within 180 days of the date of this order, shall develop an accompanying plan for supplementing local law enforcement personnel, as necessary and appropriate, with local Federal law enforcement, as well as other appropriate personnel, to escort U.S. Postal workers delivering medical countermeasures.

Sec. 3. Federal Rapid Response. (a) The Federal Government must develop the capacity to anticipate and immediately supplement the capabilities of affected jurisdictions to rapidly distribute medical countermeasures following a biological attack. Implementation of a Federal strategy to rapidly dispense medical countermeasures requires establishment of a Federal rapid response capability.

(b) The Secretaries of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, within 90 days of the date of this order, shall develop a concept of operations and establish requirements for a Federal rapid response to dispense medical countermeasures to an affected population following a large-scale biological attack.

Sec. 4. Continuity of Operations. (a) The Federal Government must establish mechanisms for the provision of medical countermeasures to personnel performing mission-essential functions to ensure that mission-essential functions of Federal agencies continue to be performed following a biological attack.

(b) The Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security, within 180 days of the date of this order, shall develop a plan for the provision of medical countermeasures to ensure that mission-essential functions of executive branch departments and agencies continue to be performed following a large-scale biological attack.

Sec. 5. General Provisions.

(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Barack Obama.

¹ See References in Text note below.