§ 247d-6. Public health countermeasures to a bioterrorist attack
(a)
All-hazards public health and medical response curricula and training
(1)
In general
The Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, and in consultation with relevant public and private entities, shall develop core health and medical response curricula and trainings by adapting applicable existing curricula and training programs to improve responses to public health emergencies.
(2)
Curriculum
The public health and medical response training program may include course work related to—
(3)
Peer review
On a periodic basis, products prepared as part of the program shall be rigorously tested and peer-reviewed by experts in the relevant fields.
(4)
Credit
The Secretary and the Secretary of Defense shall—
(5)
Dissemination and training
(A)
In general
The Secretary may provide for the dissemination and teaching of the materials described in paragraphs (1) and (2) by appropriate means, as determined by the Secretary.
(B)
Certain entities
The education and training activities described in subparagraph (A) may be carried out by Federal public health or medical entities, appropriate educational entities, professional organizations and societies, private accrediting organizations, and other nonprofit institutions or entities meeting criteria established by the Secretary.
(b)
Advice to the Federal Government
(1)
Required advisory committees
In coordination with the working group under subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall establish advisory committees in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3) to provide expert recommendations to assist such working groups in carrying out their respective responsibilities under subsections (a) and (b) of this section.
(2)
National Advisory Committee on At-Risk Individuals and Public Health Emergencies
(A)
In general
For purposes of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the National Advisory Committee on At-Risk Individuals and Public Health Emergencies (referred to in this paragraph as the “Advisory Committee”).
(B)
Duties
The Advisory Committee shall provide recommendations regarding—
(i)
the preparedness of the health care (including mental health care) system to respond to public health emergencies as they relate to at-risk individuals;
(ii)
needed changes to the health care and emergency medical service systems and emergency medical services protocols to meet the special needs of at-risk individuals; and
(iii)
changes, if necessary, to the national stockpile under section
300hh–12 of this title to meet the emergency health security of at-risk individuals.
(3)
Emergency Public Information and Communications Advisory Committee
(A)
In general
For purposes of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the Emergency Public Information and Communications Advisory Committee (referred to in this paragraph as the “EPIC Advisory Committee”).
(B)
Duties
The EPIC Advisory Committee shall make recommendations to the Secretary and report on appropriate ways to communicate public health information regarding bioterrorism and other public health emergencies to the public.
(C)
Composition
The EPIC Advisory Committee shall be composed of individuals representing a diverse group of experts in public health, medicine, communications, behavioral psychology, and other areas determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(c)
Expansion of Epidemic Intelligence Service Program
The Secretary may establish 20 officer positions in the Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, in addition to the number of the officer positions offered under such Program in 2006, for individuals who agree to participate, for a period of not less than 2 years, in the Career Epidemiology Field Officer program in a State, local, or tribal health department that serves a health professional shortage area (as defined under section
254e
(a) of this title), a medically underserved population (as defined under section
254b
(b)(3) of this title), or a medically underserved area or area at high risk of a public health emergency as designated by the Secretary.
(d)
Centers for Public Health Preparedness; core curricula and training
(1)
In general
The Secretary may establish at accredited schools of public health, Centers for Public Health Preparedness (hereafter referred to in this section as the “Centers”).
(2)
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive an award under this subsection to establish a Center, an accredited school of public health shall agree to conduct activities consistent with the requirements of this subsection.
(3)
Core curricula
The Secretary, in collaboration with the Centers and other public or private entities shall establish core curricula based on established competencies leading to a 4-year bachelor’s degree, a graduate degree, a combined bachelor and master’s degree, or a certificate program, for use by each Center. The Secretary shall disseminate such curricula to other accredited schools of public health and other health professions schools determined appropriate by the Secretary, for voluntary use by such schools.
(4)
Core competency-based training program
The Secretary, in collaboration with the Centers and other public or private entities shall facilitate the development of a competency-based training program to train public health practitioners. The Centers shall use such training program to train public health practitioners. The Secretary shall disseminate such training program to other accredited schools of public health, health professions schools, and other public or private entities as determined by the Secretary, for voluntary use by such entities.
(5)
Content of core curricula and training program
The Secretary shall ensure that the core curricula and training program established pursuant to this subsection respond to the needs of State, local, and tribal public health authorities and integrate and emphasize essential public health security capabilities consistent with section
300hh–1
(b)(2) of this title.
(6)
Academic-workforce communication
As a condition of receiving funding from the Secretary under this subsection, a Center shall collaborate with a State, local, or tribal public health department to—
(B)
assess the extent to which such needs are fulfilled by existing preparedness and response activities of such school or health department, and how such activities may be improved;
(7)
Public health systems research
In consultation with relevant public and private entities, the Secretary shall define the existing knowledge base for public health preparedness and response systems, and establish a research agenda based on Federal, State, local, and tribal public health preparedness priorities. As a condition of receiving funding from the Secretary under this subsection, a Center shall conduct public health systems research that is consistent with the agenda described under this paragraph.
(e)
Accelerated research and development on priority pathogens and countermeasures
(1)
In general
With respect to pathogens of potential use in a bioterrorist attack, and other agents that may cause a public health emergency, the Secretary, taking into consideration any recommendations of the working group under subsection (a) of this section, shall conduct, and award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements for, research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, and studies in the health sciences relating to—
(B)
the sequencing of the genomes, or other DNA analysis, or other comparative analysis, of priority pathogens (as determined by the Director of the National Institutes of Health in consultation with the working group established in subsection (a) of this section), in collaboration and coordination with the activities of the Department of Defense and the Joint Genome Institute of the Department of Energy;
with consideration given to the needs of children and other vulnerable populations.
(2)
Priority
The Secretary shall give priority under this section to the funding of research and other studies related to priority countermeasures.
(3)
Role of Department of Veterans Affairs
In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider using the biomedical research and development capabilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with that Department’s affiliations with health-professions universities. When advantageous to the Government in furtherance of the purposes of such paragraph, the Secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to achieve such purposes.
(4)
Priority countermeasures
For purposes of this section, the term “priority countermeasure” means a drug, biological product, device, vaccine, vaccine adjuvant, antiviral, or diagnostic test that the Secretary determines to be—
(f)
Authorization of appropriations