Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA)

In December 2006, Congress passed and the President signed the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), Public Law No. 109-417, which has broad implications for the Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) preparedness and response activities.  The Act established within the Department a new Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR); provided new authorities for a number of programs, including the advanced development and acquisitions of medical countermeasures; and called for the establishment of a quadrennial National Heath Security Strategy.

The purpose of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act is “to improve the Nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response capabilities for emergencies, whether deliberate, accidental, or natural.”

Major Program Areas

• Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Medical Countermeasures;
• Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8: Public Health and Medical Response: Domestic Programs;
• Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8: Public Health and Medical Response: International Programs;
• Grants;
• At-Risk Individuals;
• National Health Security Strategy (NHSS);
• Situational Awareness: Surveillance, Credentialing, and Telehealth;
• Education and Training;