Not Your Typical Disaster Response: An FDA View of the 2017 Hurricane Season

Webinar 

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When three Atlantic hurricanes hit the US in the fall of 2017, FDA proactively initiated a response and stood up its Incident Management Group, Joint Information Center, and CDER Emergency Task Force. While many FDA PHS pharmacists were deployed directly to affected regions, other FDA PHS pharmacists were activated to support Agency needs. FDA's response priorities were to ensure safety of FDA personnel and facilities, assess the impact on regulated firms and products, and communicate regularly with the public/stakeholders. Three officers will describe their different roles in this public health emergency response, including their role in mitigating the national IV fluid shortage that was exacerbated by Hurricane Maria.

Identify three pieces of key logistical information FDA’s Counter-Terrorism and Emergency Coordination Staff obtained from manufacturing firms in order to assess their current operating status.|Explain three types of regulatory assistance FDA’s Drug Shortage Staff provided to manufacturing firms affected by the hurricanes.|Describe three communication channels FDA’s Joint Information Center utilized to provide the public with up-to-date hurricane-related messaging. 

Topics in Public Health