The Division of Policy and Strategic Planning (DPSP) leads and coordinates national level strategy and strategic planning efforts. This involves coordinating with federal departments and agencies as well as non-federal partners to set the overarching strategic direction for ASPR and the nation and ensure a common vision and unified approach to improving public health and medical emergency preparedness. DPSP also serves as ASPR’s representative to HHS’s strategic planning process and leads and coordinates ASPR’s and OPP’s internal strategic planning processes.
Mission
To enhance and strengthen strategic policy formulation, implementation, evaluation, and the application of research to improve health outcomes before, during, and after incidents with health consequences.
Vision
To build and sustain a policy framework to lead national health security advancement.
How We Uphold Our Mission & Vision
We lead strategy and strategic planning to aid the country in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the adverse health effects of emergencies and disasters by supporting our communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening our health and response systems, and enhancing national health security.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Division of Policy and Strategic Planning provides guidance and expertise that leaders need in order to make the health of their communities and residents stronger and more secure in the face of disaster events as well as every day.
DPSP worked with over 400 stakeholders to develop a National Health Security Strategy that is a national – not just a federal – plan. By collaborating with partners in federal, state, local, tribal, territorial governments; the private sector including health care; non-governmental organizations; academia; and communities, DPSP is working to build community health resilience, strengthen and sustain preparedness and response systems, improve capabilities, and prioritize future resource investments.
DPSP has been working at the grass-roots level to engage youth and get them excited about supporting national health security in their communities. By working with youth organizations like HOSA, 4H and others, DPSP is connecting groups of young people who want to help their communities with new and innovative ways to serve. DPSP provides materials and resources that help communities and individuals take action to support national health security.
National Health Security Program
The Division of Policy and Strategic Planning serves as the national voice in support of national health security to show the American public how they can support health resiliency and security 
within their own communities every day. The National Health Security Program is based on a recurring, four-year planning and management process that allows for flexible, quality improvements. The program is designed to encourage change and action that improve national health security. By doing so, the program meets its statutory requirements set forth by Congress, which are a national health security strategy, implementation plan, and evaluation of progress (42, U.S.C. 300hh-1 § 2802).
The National Health Security Program consists of five project areas:
Monitoring and Evaluation – This phase researches and presents the work and progress being made in the program across the country in order to evaluate the current state of national health security while meeting the legislative mandate for Evaluation of Progress.
Strategy Formulation – The nation’s leading experts and strategists work to deliver a coordinated strategy to Congress. In this phase, teams work to develop methods that can identify and prioritize national health security issues that the country currently faces.
Strategic Planning – Once issues are identified, an Implementation Plan is designed for the National Health Security Strategy that outlines how the strategy will be put in place and its goals achieved.
Review and Adoption – An agreement is established among stakeholders on the implementation process that has been developed. This phase mobilizes stakeholders to encourage their participation with the actions described in the Implementation Plan.
Program Management – Ensures that the four previous project areas are coordinated and completed in a timely and efficient manner, with an emphasis on improving quality wherever possible.
The NHS program’s strategic planning and management processes of monitoring and evaluation, strategy formulation, strategic planning, review and adoption, program management, and stakeholder engagement serve to inform DPSP’s broader portfolio related to HHS, ASPR, and OPP strategic planning.
