United States Department of
Health & Human Services
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
NCR Disaster Recovery Seminar:
Health and Social Services
Recovery Support Function
July 14, 2014
Esmeralda Pereira
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mission and Goals
HHS/ASPR/OEM’s Division of Recovery seeks to advance
the Nation’s ability to recover from the health and social
services impacts of emergencies and disasters by:
• Coordinating federal health and social services efforts to support
communities’ recovery from emergencies and disasters;
• Conducting pre-disaster health and social services recovery
planning; and
• Promoting systematic improvements in health and social services
recovery planning and operations
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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Recovery in National Doctrine
• In the National Health Security Strategy (2009), Recovery
is highlighted in Strategic Objective 8 – Incorporate postincident health recovery into planning and response
• HHS is the Coordinating Agency of the Health and Social
Services Recovery Support Function under the National
Disaster Recovery Framework.
─ The mission of the H&SS RSF is for the federal
government to assist locally-led recovery efforts in the
restoration of the public health, healthcare and social
services networks to promote the resilience, health and
well-being of affected individuals and communities.
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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The H&SS RSF has 7 Primary
and 7 Supporting Agencies
Primary:
• Department of Homeland Security
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• Federal Emergency
Management Agency
• National Protection &
Programs Directorate
• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Corporation for National and
Community Service
Department of Education
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Environmental Protection Agency
Supporting:
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Small Business Administration
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Department of Transportation
• Department of the Treasury
• American Red Cross
• National Voluntary Organizations in
Disaster
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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The H&SS RSF has identified
9 Core Mission Areas
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Public Health
Healthcare Services
Behavioral Health
Environmental Health
Food Safety and Regulated Medical Products
Long-term Responder Health Issues
Social Services
Disaster Case Management/Referral to Social Services
Children in Disasters (including schools)
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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Some Recent and Current Activities
• Post-Disaster:
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─ Last formal activation of the RSF was for Hurricane Sandy
─ But, also involved in flooding in Colorado, Santa Clara Pueblo;
tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma;
California drought; Washington mudslide
Pre-Disaster:
─ H&SS RSF concept of operations
─ Regional trainings for federal and non-federal partners
─ Cadre development and readiness
─ Exercises including the national Capstone exercise in March/April
2014
─ Regional and state planning e.g. Bay Area Catastrophic
Earthquake, Virginia, South Dakota
─ HPP grant reviews and technical assistance
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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Key Points
• The National Disaster Recovery Framework comes with no new funding
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or authorities.
Different states and communities have used different RSF structures.
Pre-disaster relationships are important in recovery, too. The partners
you’ll need will be broader than in response.
Look for other planning efforts to build on like community health and
preventive health planning.
Health care is a business and often a significant part of the local
economy.
Parents can’t get back to work if their children don’t have a safe,
dependable place to go.
After a disaster, some people will have new or increased needs, and
some people will be accessing services for the first time. Also consider
what happens when people are displaced or services are disrupted.
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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Contact Information
Esmeralda Pereira
Division Director, Recovery, HHS/ASPR/OEM
H&SS RSF National Coordinator
esmeralda.pereira@hhs.gov
202-205-0065
CDR Betty Hastings, USPHS
Region III Recovery Coordinator, HHS/ASPR/OEM
elizabeth.hastings@hhs.gov
202-205-3581
ASPR: Resilient People. Healthy Communities. A Nation Prepared.
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