Therapist
Professional Advisory Committee
Office
of Force Readiness and Deployment Subcommittee |
Welcome to the Therapist Category Web Page and the
sub-section for the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD).
The Office of the Surgeon General created the
Commissioned Corps Readiness Force (CCRF) in 1994 to improve the DHHS
ability to respond to public health emergencies. CCRF began a transformation following the
9/11 terrorist attacks
and the anthrax attacks. CCRF was subsequently incorporated into the new Office of Force
Readiness and Deployment
in 2004.
A Guide for the Deployment of Therapist Officers
was developed by the TPAC which outlines capabilities, disaster knowledge and skills, and potential deployment roles for officers in the Therapist
Category. This handbook allows each therapist within each discipline to
have specific knowledge of how they may contribute to OFRD in a deployment situation. Additional information is available from a survey of therapists with
previous deployment experience.
OPERATIONS/DEPLOYMENT
The Office
of Force Readiness and Deployment is designed to activate small or large groups of Officers to deploy where needed. OFRD will utilize all PHS Categories depending upon the mission. OFRD's primary role is to activate, mobilize, and deploy qualified Officers expeditiously to the disaster site.
Requests for assistance may be in response to any of the following:
Corps deployment is defined as a directed, temporary assignment of officers from their assigned duties within HHS OPDIVs/STAFFDIVs and non-HHS organizations, as applicable, authorized by the President or Secretary in response during a time of war or in response to:
- A national emergency as declared by the President;
- A public health emergency as declared by the President or Secretary;
- An urgent public health need:
- A critical staffing shortage of health care/public health personnel within a facility or program administered by an OPDIV/STAFFDIV or non-HHS organization that threatens the health and safety of the affected population;
- A crisis response is a situation presenting a significant threat to the public health of a State, Tribe, or local community, and available resources are inadequate to respond; or
- A National Special Security Event declared by the Secretary of Homeland Security, is of national significance, requires special security, and is coordinated at the national response level.
Once the mission requirements are determined, OFRD will match the requirement against the qualifications of response teams and/or members on that month's rotational ready roster.
- Activation Process in Summary
- Request for Assistance
- OFRD staff receive request
- Evaluation of need - appropriate utilization of commissioned officers?
- Request for Activation
- OFRD staff submits formal request for activation to the Surgeon General
- The Secretary's and/or designee are briefed regarding the situation
- If the Secretary's and/or designee concurs; ready rosters are activated
- Identification of Assets
- Needs of the mission are matched with the skills and qualifications of officers
- on the rotational ready roster
- Individual officers are identified
- Deployment
- Agencies are informed officers from the roster are needed
- Officers are contacted
- Supervisory release is obtained
- If necessary, travel orders and arrangements prepared
- Teams/Officer(s) are deployed
Joining OFRD
Once you are on active duty in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps you automatically will be given a user ID and login password to access the OFRD Database Login. Your user ID is your PHS Serial Number, and your password can be retrieved by clicking the "Email Password" button on the login page. You will need to login, and update your Officer Summary Information to begin your first step towards deployability with OFRD.
Additionally, you must join the CCRF Listserv.
This email listserv is the primary mechanism that OFRD uses to communicate with its members.
For further details on how to be Basic Readiness qualified, please visit the OFRD Web site.
Additional Readiness Links
