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Advisory Council July 2020 Meeting Presentation: At-Risk Individuals Program and COVID-19

Monday, July 20, 2020

Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (8 PDF pages)

 

At-Risk Individuals Program and COVID-19

Cheryl A. Levine, PhD
Senior Advisor, At-Risk Individuals Program Director
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Background on ASPR

Public Health Emergency screen shot.
https://www.phe.gov/emergency/pages/default.aspx

ASPR Mission

Save Lives and Protect Americans from 21st Century Health Security Threats

ASPR/At-Risk Individuals (ARI) Program

  • COVID-19 Response -- HHS/FEMA Community Mitigation Workgroup
  • Team includes 2 ASPR/ARI personnel and multiple COVID-19 Rotations

HHS Requirements for At-Risk Individuals

  • The Public Health Service Act (https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/authority/Pages/default.aspx) forms the foundation of HHS’ legal authority for responding to public health emergencies as amended by the 2019 Pandemic And All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPAIA) (https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/legal/pahpa/Pages/pahpaia.aspx).
  • Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (2019) updated language under the Public Health Service Act (PHSA)
    • Section 2802 requires taking into account the public health and medical needs of at-risk individuals. It defines at-risk individuals as children, pregnant women, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and others who may have access or functional needs in the event of a public health emergency as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Population

  • Children
  • People Who Live in Institutional Settings
  • Older Adults
  • Pregnant Women
  • People with Disabilities
  • People with Chronic Conditions
  • People with Pharmacological Dependency
  • People with Limited Access to Transportation
  • Limited English Proficiency/Non-English Speakers
  • People with social and economic limitations
  • Individuals Experiencing Homelessness

At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health & Community Resilience (ABC) Library -- Older Adults

  • HHS/ASPR Access and Functional Needs Web-Based Training https://www.train.org/main/course/1083869/
    • Defines the concept of “access and functional needs” (or AFN) of at-risk individuals including older adults, people with disabilities, people with chronic health conditions, etc.
    • Approach for addressing a common AFN irrespective of specific diagnoses, status, or labels
    • Tools for addressing AFN during disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities
  • Working with Older Adults and People with Disabilities: Tips for Treatment and Discharge Planning https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Pages/elderly-disabled.aspx
    • Considerations for public health planners and emergency responders when older adults require temporary placement in a healthcare facility during a public health emergency
    • Steps to take to ensure discharge planning is person-centered and places these individuals in the least restrictive environment that meets their needs

Capacity-Building Toolkit

  • Version 2.0 published June 17th, 2020
  • HHS: ASPR & ACL
  • National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

Purpose of the Capacity-Building Toolkit

  • Ensure equal access to our nation’s emergency preparedness, response and recovery resources
    • Provide information and resources for the Aging and Disability Networks to become more engaged in emergency planning (CBO Readiness)
    • Advance whole community planning and supporting consumers (Consumer Planning)
    • Develop partnerships with emergency management and public health officials (Partnership)

Emergency Planning for Organizations

  • Identify hazards
    • Conduct risk assessments
  • Create an Emergency Operations Plan
  • Understand the Incident Command System (ICS)
  • Understanding the Emergency Support Functions (ESF)
  • Participate in trainings and exercises
  • Engage in consumer advocacy
    • Participation in exercises
    • Inclusion in emergency plans
Figure 1: The Phases of Emergency Management
  • Preparedness: Preparing to handle and emergency
  • Response: Responding to an emergency
  • Recovery: Recovering from an emergency
  • Mitigation: Minimizing the effects of an emergency

COVID-19 ARI Activities to Date

  • Foster relationships with new and existing stakeholders
  • Collaborate with partners to create and promote resources and guidance
  • Support expanding and maintaining of nutritional resources
  • Develop journey maps and other resources for providers serving AFN population

Sustaining Nutritional Needs for At-Risk Individuals

  • Guidance for federal agencies and state, local and territorial governments to sustain and expand home delivered meals and other nutrition programs through:
    • Identifying need
    • Building capabilities
    • Engaging networks
    • Creating solutions
  • Provides information on leading practices and existing programs that provide nutrition services for at-risk individuals
  • Includes overview of government programs that address nutritional needs

ARI Program: Recent and Forthcoming Products

COVID-19: Novel Coronavirus Disease

Information about ASPR’s efforts to protect the nation from this novel disease are available online at https://www.phe.gov/emergency/events/COVID19/Pages/default.aspx.

Public Health Emergency COVID-19 Home Page screen shot.