WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate late last night approved legislation to improve the nation’s public health preparedness in response to an emergency. The bill includes influenza and medical volunteer provisions similar to those authored by U.S. Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY).

The Senate unanimously approved the bill, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (S. 3678), which reauthorizes the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 and expands the Project BioShield Act of 2004.

Senator Roberts said, "I am pleased to cosponsor the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act that passed the Senate. This legislation will ensure that we are better prepared for both deliberate and natural threats to the public health by strengthening our public health infrastructure and accelerating research and development of medical countermeasures."

As the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness, Senator Roberts has long been concerned about the threats from biological, chemical, radiological or nuclear attacks and the potential damage a natural threat, such as pandemic flu, could cause.

The following provisions are included in the Senate-approved bill:

• Designates the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the leader of the federal response to public health emergencies.
• Improves medical surge capacity in local communities through the use of mobile medical assets and better training, support and organizational framework for health care providers.
• Improves regional infrastructure and establishes performance standards for states to ensure minimum preparedness in an emergency for better accountability.
• Provides grants to states and individuals to improve the public health workforce in underserved areas.
• Promotes public health situational awareness to detect, deter or contain public health threats more rapidly.
• Accelerates advanced research and development of drugs and vaccines to protect the United States from health emergencies, such as avian flu.

In addition, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act contains provisions similar to those authored as part of the Clinton-Roberts Influenza Vaccine Security Act (S. 1828): 

• The bill requires the Secretary of HHS to link existing state verification systems for medical volunteers to maintain a single national network for the purpose of advance registration of these health professionals. This national network will verify the credentials, licenses and certifications of medical volunteers to ensure rapid response to public health emergencies.
• The bill also gives the Secretary of HHS the authority to track the distribution of federally-purchased pandemic flu vaccine in order to determine where supplies of these vaccines are located. To address seasonal flu delivery concerns, the bill requires the Secretary to enhance communication between state and local public health officials, vaccine manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers regarding the effective distribution of the seasonal flu vaccine. In addition, this enhanced communication must include estimates of high priority populations in state and local jurisdictions in order to inform federal, state and local decision makers during vaccine shortages and supply disruptions.
• The bill creates an FDA rapid-action team to work with manufacturers who request assistance to identify and resolve problems by providing continuous, on-site assistance to avert a significant shortage of vaccines or countermeasures.

Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.