The Department of Health and Human Services should develop a workforce target for the National Disaster Medical System to ensure it can effectively respond to the nation’s current and future needs, according to a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office. HHS responded to COVID-19, in part, by deploying doctors, nurses and others enrolled in the NDMS, who generally work outside the federal government but may assist with federal public health emergencies.

In 2018, the agency developed an enrollment target for NDMS of 6,290 responders, but did not consider whether its workforce was capable of responding to a nationwide event, multiple concurrent events and the needs of at-risk individuals, or the availability of other medical responders to ensure the target was adequate and not redundant, GAO said.

The report also recommends HHS evaluate whether NDMS training effectively prepares its responders for deployment, including keeping them and others safe during an emergency such as COVID-19.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA Sept. 29 asked the Trump administration to provide exemptions for health care personnel from the proclamation issued Sept. 19 announcing changes to the…
Headline
The AHA urged the Department of Homeland Security today to maintain “duration of status” as an authorized period of stay for the nearly 17,000 physicians…
Headline
The AHA Sept. 24 expressed support for the Medical Student Education Authorization Act (H.R. 5428), legislation introduced in the House Sept. 17 that would…
Headline
An AHA blog published Sept. 16 highlights programs and practices by Boston Medical Center leaders and staff that support residents’ mental health, emotional…
Headline
The AHA’s American Organization for Nursing Leadership will host its virtual Nurse Manager Institute on Oct. 30, Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. The event is designed for…
Headline
The Department of Homeland Security today released a proposed rule to amend the process for selecting among prospective applicants — known as registrants — for…