Panel issues recommendations to bolster federal response to public health threats

An independent panel appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services to capture lessons learned from the agency’s response to Ebola today issued recommendations to enhance the federal response to international and domestic public health threats. The report calls for increased coordination within HHS, across federal agencies and with state and local governments and their private-sector partners. The panel also emphasized the need for sustained federal funding for emergency preparedness and response activities. HHS convened the panel of public health, health care, emergency response and communication experts last year to capture lessons learned from the agency’s response to Ebola. Benjamin Chu, president and CEO of the Memorial Hermann Health System and a previous AHA chairman, participated on the panel. Along with the report, HHS released an Ebola response improvement plan.