Jul 9, 2003 (CIDRAP News) – The Bush administration has announced plans to expand and strengthen the Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps, the nation's uniformed force of health professionals who can be mobilized to respond to health emergencies around the country.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson said his goal is to recruit more health professionals for the corps and to better equip them to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. Among other things, the plan calls for recruiting up to 1,000 nurses each year to work in underserved areas and to make the corps fully deployable by the end of 2005.
The HHS announcement, issued last week, said the plan calls for "the most sweeping transformation" of the corps since it was founded in 1889. "As we face an uncertain future of possible terrorist attacks, emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters, and other prevention or public health needs, this transformation will help us strengthen our public health infrastructure and response system to better serve the American people," Thompson said in a news release.
The Commissioned Corps is led by Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. The force includes about 6,000 officers, who are scattered through various HHS agencies and some outside HHS, such as the Bureau of Prisons, the Coast Guard, and the Environmental Protection Agency, according to HHS.
Among other objectives, HHS officials said, the expansion plans call for the Commission Corps to:
- Work to create scholarships to recruit up to 1,000 nurses and 100 physicians each year to work in medically underserved areas
- Phase out the Commissioned Corps Readiness Force structure and replace it with a new system designed to make the force 100% deployable by the end of 2005 (HHS did not say what proportion of the force is deployable for emergencies now, but a Washington Post report put the proportion at 30%.)
- Establish a ready reserve corps to supplement the efforts of the Commissioned Corps
- Create more short-term duty assignments to meet critical needs
- Recruit at least 275 new officers to support the Indian Health Service by Sep 30, 2004
- Open new opportunities for registered nurses and other health personnel who hold an associate degree and appropriate credentials
The changes will unfold over the next several months under the leadership of the assistant secretary for health and of the surgeon general, HHS officials said. The Washington Post report said the plan calls for creating a new office to oversee corps personnel, who will report to a management team under the surgeon general.
See also:
HHS announcement
http://archive.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030703.html
History of the office of the Surgeon General and the Commissioned Corps
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/history/index.html
