Description of Collaborative Activity: |
The Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) determines the various medical countermeasures (MCMs) that are needed and oversees their development and procurement. The PHEMCE also advances national preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) and emerging infectious disease (EID) threats, including pandemic influenza, by coordinating medical countermeasure related efforts within U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and in cooperation with interagency PHEMCE partners. In order to accomplish this objective, the PHEMCE uses a multitier approach. Each tier comprises multiple agencies within HHS and/or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that work together in a collaborative fashion to further the preparedness of the nation. The first tier includes the Biological, Chemical, Radiological/Nuclear Working Groups; the Blood/Tissue MCM Requirements Working Group; and Integrated Program Teams (IPTs). The Working Groups (WG) utilize scenario-based analyses to determine which MCMs are needed for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), or affiliated repositories. The IPTs provide an end-to-end vision of MCMs needed for a particular threat type (e.g., anthrax, radiological/nuclear, etc.). The scope of their work includes setting requirements for the stockpiling of MCMs, MCM delivery and dispensing and monitoring MCM development. The IPTs also advise the Enterprise Executive Committee (EEC)as to threat- or capability-specific MCM priorities for improving preparedness, to inform leadership consideration of cross-threat prioritizations and strategic goal setting. Agencies represented on the PHEMCE WGs and IPTs include: National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Defense (DOD), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), DHS, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The second tier of this process is the EEC. The EEC is comprised of senior program managers across the partner agencies. It provides the critical interface and organizing capability between the strategic focus of the Enterprise Senior Council (ESC) and the tactical-level efforts conducted within the subordinate IPTs and WGs. This committee serves as a Senior Advisor-level coordination mechanism across the Federal agencies involved in PHEMCE-related activities to facilitate vetting and prioritization of policy decision materials to be presented to the ESC. The third and most senior tier of the PHEMCE and the forum for cooperation and overall mission fulfillment is the ESC. Structurally, the ESC is led by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and comprised of the senior leadership of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within NIH, CDC, and FDA with comparable senior level representatives from the DoD, DHS, VA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As the most senior level in the PHEMCE structure, this group approves major policies, product requirements, and large-scale procurement actions. It also oversees strategic reviews of the activities in each of the major threat portfolios (e.g., anthrax, smallpox, radiological/nuclear) and is the final reporting body for high priority actions identified as gaps in these reviews. |
NIH Participating Institutes/Centers/Office of the Director: |
NIAID, NIAMS, NICHD, NINDS, NLM |
HHS Agency Collaborators on this Activity: |
ACF, CDC, FDA, OS, SAMHSA |
