HHS has launched the first online collection of federal resources and capabilities to help lessen health impacts during emergencies. The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) www.phe.gov is sponsoring the “HHS response and Recovery Resources Compendium” www.phe.gov/emergency/hhscapabilities/Pages/default.aspx online to aid state, tribal, territorial, local officials in health, and emergency management.
The information in the Compendium spans 24 categories, and each category showcases the relevant disaster resources available from HHS and partner agencies along with a brief description for each resource and how to access the information.
Resources such as geoHEALTH http://geohealth.hhs.gov/arcgis/home and HHS emPOWER Map www.phe.gov/empowermap/Pages/default.aspx include and use geographic information system capabilities to support health response as well as consultation services. These services can include emergency planning, disease surveillance and tracking, food, drug, and device safety.
Resources also include information on personnel from the U.S Public Health Service and the National Disaster Medical System that can be deployed to communities to augment local hospitals, shelters, or public health staff.
The Compendium will be updated regularly and expanded as federal agencies add products, capabilities, and services to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from the health impacts of disasters.