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May 3, 2018 

Urgent!  

Please Take Action for One Health legislation by Friday, May 4!

 



 



Dear Doctors and all One Health Supporters/Advocates,

 
Your actions could help make One Health the default way of addressing emergency preparedness in the U.S. 


You may have seen the United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) Daily News Alerts May 1st article entitled "Bipartisan effort to improve Bioterrorism and pandemic response drafted in Senate HELP committee" (http://bit.ly/2rgnXYv). The draft legislation will address the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) which is set to expire on October 1, 2018.  There is an opportunity to provide public comments on this draft by close of business on May 4. 

 

There are some minor amendments to PAHPA that will further collaboration among the key Federal, State, local and tribal entities through the development of a One Health Framework by directing the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) to work together with other Departments and Agencies. Taking into account interactions between animal health, human health, and environmental health, as they relate to public health emergency preparedness, is quintessential.


How can you help? 

Please see below suggested language for specific PAHPA amendments that would implement a One Heath framework in the U.S.  We would greatly appreciate your adding any of your own thoughts and forwarding (or copy and paste) this suggested PAHPA amendment language to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee at  PAHPA2018@help.senate.gov   by COB Friday, May 4th.

Additionally, there is an ad hoc working group from the One Health Commission, the One Health Initiative Team and the U.S. community of One Health advocates supporting passage of the proposed visionary bipartisan Senate Bill S.2615,  Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2018, that was introduced on March 22 by Senators Tina Smith (Democrat-MN) and Todd Young (Republican-IN).  A brief one-page 'Call to Action' document (http://bit.ly/2HMOCDl) has been prepared for your consideration and use.    


Thank you very much for your support of One Health and for helping make the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services more effective and efficient in their delivery of these important programs. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

 

Bernadette Dunham, DVM, PhD bdunham@gwu.edu   

Ad hoc Committee Primary Spokesperson

One Health Commission Council of Advisors

Carrie La Jeunesse, DVM, CT   lajeuneconsulting@gmail.com

One Health Commission Council of Advisors

Cheryl M. Stroud, DVM, PhD

Executive Director, One Health Commission

Bruce Kaplan, DVM 

Contents Manager/Editor One Health Initiative Website

Co-Founder One Health Initiative team/website

Gerald W. Parker, DVM, PhD, MS

Board of Directors, One Health Commission
Associate Dean, Global One Health, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Joseph F. Annelli, DVM, MS

Former Director, One Health Coordination Center, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Senior Advisor for Agriculture and Health Systems, Office of the Associate Deputy Administrator.

Helena J. Chapman, MD, MPH, PhD

University of Florida

_______________________________________________________ 

 

Suggested amendments to latest DRAFT Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2018, released on 4/27/2018 by the Senate HELP Committee for public comment by May 4, 2018.

 

The draft legislation specifically seeks to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). Initially enacted in 2006 to establish, as well as build on, an all-hazard protocol for public health threats that may contribute to a public health emergency. PAHPA was last reauthorized in 2013 and many of the provisions within it are set to expire in September, 2018.

 

Page 5 line 15

''(9) ZOONOTIC DISEASE, FOOD, AND AGRICULTURE.-Improving coordination among Federal, State, local, and tribal entities to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks of plant or animal disease (including zoonotic disease) resulting from a deliberate attack, the intentional adulteration of food, or other public health threats that could compromise national security, taking into account interactions between animal health, human health, and environmental health as directly related to public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as applicable.

 

Amend as follows:

 

''(9) ZOONOTIC DISEASE, FOOD, AND AGRICULTURE.-In collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture, improve coordination through developing a One Health Framework among Federal, State, local, and tribal entities to prevent, detect, and respond to outbreaks of plant or animal disease (including zoonotic disease) resulting from a deliberate attack, the intentional adulteration of food, or other public health threats that could compromise national security, taking into account a multi-sectoral One Health approach to interactions between animal health, human health, and environmental health as directly related to public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as applicable.

 

Page 31, line 13

''(iv) a strategy to minimize and address such gaps and improve inefficiencies.'';(G) in paragraph (7), as so redesignated-(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ''(taking into account zoonotic disease, including gaps in scientific understanding of the interactions between human, animal, and environmental health)'' after ''human health'';

 

Amend as follows:

''(iv) a One Heath Framework strategy to minimize and address such gaps and improve inefficiencies.'';(G) in paragraph (7), as so redesignated-(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ''(taking into account zoonotic disease, including gaps in scientific understanding of the interactions between human, animal, and environmental health)'' after ''human health'';

 

Page 42, line 20

(c) STRATEGIC NATIONAL STOCKPILE.-Section 319F-2(a)(2)(E) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 7d-6b(a)(2)(E)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon '', taking into account the manufacturing capacity and other available sources of products and supplies in the stockpile''.

 

Amend as follows:

(c) STRATEGIC NATIONAL STOCKPILE.-Section 319F-2(a)(2)(E) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 7d-6b(a)(2)(E)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon '', taking into account the manufacturing capacity and other available sources of products and supplies in the stockpile''.

Amend (c) Stockpile (2) as follows: the Secretary shall, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture conduct an annual review including the National Veterinary Stockpile

 

 

Amendments not considered in the DRAFT Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2018 that should be added:

''Subtitle A - National All-Hazards Preparedness and Response Planning, Co-ordinating, and Reporting

''SEC. 2801. PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FUNCTIONS.


''(a) IN GENERAL-The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall lead all Federal public health and medical response to public health emergencies and incidents covered by the National Response Plan developed pursuant to section 502(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, or any successor plan.

''(b) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT-The Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of any other relevant Federal agency, shall establish an interagency agreement, consistent with the National Response Plan or any successor plan, under which agreement the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall assume operational control of emergency public health and medical response assets, as necessary, in the event of a public health emergency, except that members of the armed forces under the authority of the Secretary of Defense shall remain under the command and control of the Secretary of Defense as shall any associated assets of the Department of Defense.''.

 

Amend as follows:

 

Insert the following after (a) and change (b) to (c):

 

''SEC. 2801. PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FUNCTIONS.

''(a) IN GENERAL-The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall lead all Federal public health and medical response to public health emergencies and incidents covered by the National Response Plan developed pursuant to section 502(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, or any successor plan.

"(b) INTERAGENCY (multisectoral) COLLABORATION - The complexity of public health emergencies necessitates a whole of government response also known as a One Health (human, animal and environmental) approach. The Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly lead the development of a National One Health Framework to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of issues at the human, animal and environmental interface.

''(c) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT - The Secretaries, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of any other relevant Federal agency, shall establish an interagency agreement, consistent with the National Response Plan or any successor plan, under which agreement the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall assume operational control of emergency public health and medical response assets, as necessary, in the event of a public health emergency, except that members of the armed forces under the authority of the Secretary of Defense shall remain under the command and control of the Secretary of Defense as shall any associated assets of the Department of Defense.'' 

_______________________________________________ 

 

The One Health Commission (OHC) and One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team (OHI) mutually encourage all One Health community supporters to help widely distribute, promote and actively participate in this call to action for significant bipartisan One Health/public health legislation consideration and expeditious enactment by the U.S. Congress.  Because------ "One Health" is a nonpartisan issue.

 




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One Health Commission | Phone: +1.984.500.8593| www.onehealthcommission.org

 









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