CAPT Jim Imholte, RP MPH Supervisory REC, Region VII HHS/ASPR/OPEO Regional Emergency Coordinators COA Category Day 21 June 2012 CAPT Jim Imholte, RP MPH Supervisory REC, Region VII HHS/ASPR/OPEO

Objectives History of REC Program Structure of ASPR REC Backgrounds REC Response Roles REC “Peace Time” Roles

Standard Federal Regions Regional ESF #8 Standard Federal Regions

REC History 1980’s – Office of Emergency Preparedness 2003 – Transferred to DHS/FEMA as NDMS 2005 – Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness 2007 - ASPR created, NDMS reunited in HHS

ASPR Organization ASPR Mission - Lead the nation in preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. Vision - “A Nation Prepared” to prevent, respond to, and reduce the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. ASPR Office of Biomedical Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO) Office of Policy and Planning (OPP) Office of Acquisitions Management, Contracts and Grants (AMCG) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Office of Financial Planning and Analysis (FPA) Principle Deputy ASPR

Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations (OPEO)

ESF#8 Response Coordination and Control Emergency Management Group (EMG) Operates from the SOC or virtually Includes Operations, Plans, Logistics, Admin & Finance Federal and Interagency partner LNOs Disaster Leadership Group (DLG) Provides executive decision support to the Secretary

Secretary’s Operations Center (SOC) Operational 24 / 7 / 365 Monitors international, federal, regional and local emergency channels as well as commercial media Communicates daily with HHS Operating and Staff Divisions Communicates daily with federal partners Communicates routinely with international health partners Conduit for International Health Regulations (IHR) reporting Publishes daily reports on issues of public health significance Provides administrative and technical reach-back for HHS and ESF #8 deployed personnel/teams

Emergency Management Group (EMG) Headquarters personnel who manage day-to-day and initiate emergency response requirements Provides a link between deployed resources and HHS leadership Liaisons from HHS Operating Divisions and ESF #8 Primary Partners Resources requests for ESF#8 Assistance (RFAs) and Mission Assignments (MAs) Aligned with ICS Sections to facilitate interoperability

REC Backgrounds 33 in 10 Regions and NCR (1 open position) 17 Commissioned Officers – 16 Civil Servants Varied Backgrounds Nurses – 8 Environmental Health Officers – 6 Administration – 2 Psychologist – 1 Engineers – 3 Physician Assistants – 3 State HD/NGO – 5 EMS – 3 Pharmacists – 2 Retired Military – 6, Includes 2 PHS Officers

Regional Emergency Coordinators (RECs) 4/22/2017 Regional Emergency Coordinators (RECs) ASPR’s representatives at the regional level and in the field. Coordinate preparedness and response activities with federal, state, local, private sector and tribal officials within their region. Serve as liaison between state and local health officials and ASPR headquarters in Washington DC during emergency preparedness and response. Assume the role of Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT) commander during public health emergencies. 11

Regional Emergency Coordinators Coordinate with departmental, interagency, state, local and Tribal counterparts Co-located with/near FEMA regional coordinators Identify capabilities, gaps, capacity and community resiliency thru deliberate planning at the state and regional levels Recommend courses of action to take during an incident Identify potential requirements for federal support Assist in matching requirements with federal capabilities

Regional Emergency Coordinators (RECs) 4/22/2017 Regional Emergency Coordinators (RECs) Response activities include: Serving as the National Response Framework ESF #8 (Public Health and Medical Services) coordinator and Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT) commander in the affected region during an emergency. Holding operational responsibility for deployed federal public health and medical assets. Deploying from home region to support the RECs in the affected region in roles such as the ESF #8 planning or operations chief, or in a key liaison capacity at a state EOC. 13

ESF#8 Coordination and Control in the Field Federal Public Health and Medical Official – JFO/UCG ESF #8 Unit Leader – JFO Operations Section Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT) – forward deployed at/near operational site . The “Federal Public Health and Medical Official” will be a senior REC or other official appointed by DASOPEO to provide senior-level coordination at the Joint Field Office/Unified Coordination Group. ESF#8 Unit Leader, formerly ESF#8 Lead, will be a REC working at the JFO Operations Section. These two positions provide the EMG with ESF#8 representation at the critical levels of the JFO. The IRCT provides administrative support to deployed resources and serves as the coordination conduit with the EMG.

Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT) Forward deployed coordination & control element at the incident/operations site Directs and coordinates activities of all HHS / ESF #8 personnel deployed to the incident/operations site IRCT Liaisons (as needed) Liaisons dependent on situation Typically sent to state Emergency Operations Centers and Health Departments We bring in: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DoD), American Red Cross (ARC), CDC, FDA

Regional Response to PH Emergencies 18 April 2007 Regional Response to PH Emergencies It’s about building networks and being able to leverage those networks to achieve favorable public health outcomes Proximity and availability of resources is key CAPT Jim Imholte

18 April 2007 The Regional Offices The Regional Offices are critical to the effective management of a public health emergency: They know the people They control the local federal resources They know the turf CAPT Jim Imholte

18 April 2007 Regional Strengths Established networks that extend into every aspect of public health Ability to coordinate regional OPDIV resources Regional OPDIVs further extend HHS’s reach into State governments and communities OPDIVs have developed valuable relationships that are much different then those developed by RHA, REC or RD Regional Advisory Committee provides the structure to tap into this regional capacity Established trust with constituents CAPT Jim Imholte

18 April 2007 Regional Strengths Established working relationship with elected officials Long standing relationships with non-elected public health officials Able to establish working relationship with regional media Provides forum to discuss and coordinate interstate mutual assistance during disasters CAPT Jim Imholte

Regional Networks Regional OPDIV Partners: ACF, FDA, CMS, HRSA, FOH, 18 April 2007 Local Health Officials State Health Officers Tribes Community Volunteer Based Organizations Faith Based Organizations RHA Universities Private Industry FEMA Local Elected Officials DHS VA Regional Leadership Network Congress State EMA Governor’s Offices DoD REC RD ESF #8 Response Assets Reg OPDIVS Public Affairs Public Health Preparedness Directors Other Federal Agencies Regional OPDIV Partners: ACF, FDA, CMS, HRSA, FOH, OGC, OCR, IHS, AoA , SAMHSA CAPT Jim Imholte

Overlapping Spheres of Influence 18 April 2007 Local Health Officials State Health Officers Tribes Community Volunteer Based Organizations Faith Based Organizations RHA Universities Private Industry FEMA Local Elected Officials DHS VA Regional Leadership Network Congress State EMA Governor’s Offices DoD REC RD ESF #8 Response Assets Other Federal Agencies Public Affairs Public Health Preparedness Directors Overlapping Spheres of Influence CAPT Jim Imholte

18 April 2007 Spheres of Influence Regional Advisory Committee Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Operations Intergovernmental Affairs Regional OPDIVS Public Health Infrastructure and Programs RAC is located where the spheres of influence converge CAPT Jim Imholte

Response Cycle

“Peace Time” Cycle

Questions CAPT Jim Imholte, RP MPH Supervisory REC, Region VII 601 East 12th St., Room S1801 Kansas City, MO 64106 816-426-3490 816-985-5589 cell Jim.Imholte@hhs.gov