The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a change in the department’s structure on Friday, meant to improve its response to national health-related emergencies.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has elevated the existing Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response — a 1,000-person team — from a staff division to an operating division, giving it the new name of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
The ASPR will serve as a standalone agency within the HHS, much like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
This change in organizational status is intended to allow the ASPR to mobilize and coordinate national response during disasters and emergencies more efficiently.
“The reclassification of ASPR helps strengthen our long-term preparedness posture by positioning the division to continue coordinating health-related emergency response in collaboration with our various HHS teams,” stated Becerra.
The change in name and status became effective immediately, but the transition of administrative capabilities will occur in phases over the next two years.
ASPR will continue to be led by Dawn O’Connell, who will retain her title as assistant secretary for preparedness and response.
She explained the reason for the change in organizational structure in a staff email, stating, “This change allows ASPR to mobilize a coordinated national response more quickly and stably during future disasters and emergencies while equipping us with greater hiring and contracting capabilities.”
In its previous form, the ASPR has assisted in responding to various health crises but has, at times, been in conflict with other agencies. Tensions reportedly arose during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when Americans infected with COVID-19 were stuck in Asia.
The ASPR wanted to allow the infected passengers to fly home, as they had no symptoms and could be separated from the other passengers. However, the CDC decided that the individuals should remain behind in Japanese hospitals.
Officials in the Biden administration stated that conflicts like these could be avoided if the ASPR and the CDC were both on equal footing, according to The Washington Post.
Public health experts have said that the ASPR does not have the same connections with front-line workers as the CDC, making them less equipped for something like the pandemic, the Post reported.
The ASPR has also been critiqued for its lack of attention to infectious diseases prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the scarcity of protective gear and medical supplies in the national stockpile, over which the ASPR has had control since 2018.
However, the CDC backs the reorganization plan. CDC spokesman Ken Griffis said in a statement that the agency is “supportive of Assistant Secretary O’Connell’s vision for ASPR — a critical partner for us in addressing public health threats.”