Helping state and local jurisdictions prepare for a national emergency

An act of terrorism or a large scale natural disaster affecting the U.S. civilian population will require rapid access to large quantities of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. Such quantities may not be readily accessible unless special stockpiles are created. No one can anticipate exactly where a terrorist will strike and few state or local governments have the resources to create sufficient stockpiles on their own. Therefore, a national stockpile has been created as a resource for all.

In 1999 Congress charged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with the establishment of the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS). The mission was to provide a re-supply of large quantities of essential medical material to states and communities during an emergency within twelve hours of the federal decision to deploy.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 tasked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with defining the goals and performance requirements of the programs as well as managing the actual deployment of assets. Effective on March 1, 2003, the NPS became the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) managed jointly by DHS and HHS. The SNS program works with governmental and non-governmental partners to upgrade the nation’s public health capacity to respond to a national emergency. Critical to the success of this initiative is ensuring capacity is developed at federal, state, and local levels to receive, stage, and dispense SNS assets.

A national repository of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical material

The SNS is a national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, life-support medications, intravenous administration, airway maintenance supplies, and medical/surgical items. The SNS is designed to supplement and re-supply state and local public health agencies in the event of a national emergency anywhere and at anytime within the U.S. or its territories.

The SNS is organized for flexible response. The first line of support lies within the immediate response 12-hour Push Packages. These are caches of pharmaceuticals, antidotes, and medical supplies designed to provide rapid delivery of a broad spectrum of assets for an ill-defined threat in the early hours of an event. These Push Packages are positioned in strategically located, secure warehouses ready for immediate deployment to a designated site within 12 hours of a federal decision to deploy SNS assets.

If the incident requires additional pharmaceuticals and/or medical supplies, follow-on vendor managed inventory (VMI) supplies will be shipped to arrive within 24 to 36 hours. If the agent is well defined, VMI can be tailored to provide pharmaceuticals, supplies, and/or products specific to the suspected or confirmed agent(s). In this case, the VMI could act as the first option for immediate response from the SNS.

Determining and maintaining SNS assets

To determine and review the composition of the SNS Program assets, DHS, HHS, and CDC jointly consider many factors, such as current biological and/or chemical threats, the availability of medical material, and the case of dissemination of pharmaceuticals. One of the most significant factors in determining SNS composition, however, is the medical vulnerability of the U.S. civilian population.

The SNS Program ensures that the medical material stock is rotated and kept within potency shelf-life limits. This involves quarterly quality assurance/quality control checks (QA/QC’s) on all Push Packages, annual 100% inventory of all Package items, and inspections of environmental conditions, security, and overall package maintenance.

Supplementing state and local resources

During a national emergency, state, local, and private stocks of medical material will be depleted quickly. State and local first responders and health officials can use the SNS to bolster their response to a national emergency, with a 12-hour Push Package, VMI, or a combination of both, depending on the situation. The SNS is not a first response tool.

Rapid coordination and transport

The SNS Program is committed to have 12-hour Push Packages delivered anywhere in the U.S. or its territories within 12 hours of a federal decision to deploy. The 12-hour Push Packages have been configured to be immediately loaded onto either trucks or commercial cargo aircraft for the most rapid transportation. Concurrent to SNS transport, the SNS Program will deploy its Technical Advisory Response Unit (TARU). The TARU staff will coordinate with state and local officials so that the SNS assets can be efficiently received and distributed upon arrival at the site.

Transfer of SNS assets to state and/or local authorities

DHS will transfer authority for the SNS material to the state and local authorities once it arrives at the designated receiving and storage site. State and local authorities will then begin the breakdown of the 12-hour Push Package for distribution. SNS TARU members will remain on site in order to assist and advise state and local officials in putting the SNS assets to prompt and effective use.

When and how the SNS is deployed

The decision to deploy SNS assets may be based on evidence showing the overt release of an agent that might adversely affect public health. It is more likely, however, that subtle indicators, such as unusual morbidity and/or mortality identified through the nation’s disease outbreak surveillance and epidemiology network, will alert health officials to the possibility (and confirmation) of a biological or chemical incident or a national emergency. To receive SNS assets, the affected state’s governor’s office will directly request the deployment of the SNS assets from CDC or DHS. DHS, HHS, CDC, and other federal officials will evaluate the situation and determine a prompt course of action.

For More Information, Please Visit:

Strategic National Stockpile (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

McHenry County Online ~ MCDH Online

McHenry County Department of Health
2200 N Seminary Ave, Annex A
Woodstock, Illinois 60098

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