US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Initiative Announced

January 18, 2006 -- HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced an initiative to transform the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, which will enable this critical emergency response resource to address public health challenges more quickly and efficiently. The Commissioned Corps will increase its ranks, streamline its assignment and deployment process, and increase its ability to recruit the best and brightest to defend the nation's public health.

In remarks before officers today, Secretary Leavitt outlined his vision of the USPHS as an essential national resource to meet HHS' critical mission requirements; ready to respond rapidly to urgent public health challenges and emergencies; available to address needs in isolated, hazardous or other difficult-to-fill positions; and sought at the federal and state levels to help meet essential public health leadership and service roles. Over the next two months, strategies will be developed to increase the size of the corps and improve its ability to respond quickly to urgent public health needs. The Commissioned Corps seeks to:

* Increase the number of officers by 10 percent, to a total of 6,600 members;
* Improve response operations and team-oriented deployment process; and
* Change the recruitment process so that it includes stronger personal incentive programs and a better approach for assigning officers.

Commissioned Corps officers have been deeply involved in responding to recent public health emergencies. More than 2,000 Commissioned Corps officers were deployed to the Gulf region before, during, and after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They set up and staffed field hospitals and emergency medical clinics, treated sick and injured evacuees, ensured hospital structures, food supplies, and water supplies were safe, conducted disease surveillance, and worked closely with local and state health authorities to address other immediate and long-term public health needs.

A Webcast of the event is available at mms://overhill.health.org/asf1/3CommCorps/06-0118TransformationEvent.wmv.