The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which Congress passed earlier this month, requires the Department of Health and Human Services rather than the Homeland Security Department to lead all public health and medical responses in a public health emergency. The bill authorizes HHS to make grants to hospitals to improve surge capacity in an emergency. It also requires the department to develop evidence-based benchmarks to measure state preparedness and withdraw funds from entities that don’t meet the standards or that don’t have a pandemic influenza plan. The legislation funds a near real-time electronic national network that allows entities to share data and information to enhance the detection, response, and management of infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. It also establishes a Medical Reserve Corps to provide volunteers to serve in a medical emergency and funds additional training for the public health workforce.
