Earlier this month, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense released an updated report, “Holding the Line on Biodefense: State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Reinforcements Needed”, which highlights several recommendations for how federal policy can help to render state, local, tribal and territorial governments more efficacious in both preparedness and response implementation. Broad thematic recommendations (which are honed into specific action and policy items in the report) include:
- Fortify Emergency Medical Services
- Improve Stockpile Distribution and Pharmacy Readiness
- Increase Healthcare Surge Capacity
- Augment Laboratory Response
- Rectify Shortfalls in Tribal Public Health Emergency Preparedness
- Overcome Barriers to Territorial Biosurveillance and emergency Response
- Allocate Response Funding Before Biological Crises Occur
- Assume Broader Leadership of Biodefense
This bipartisan report and panel based these specific recommendations off of earlier findings and recommendations in a 2015 biodefense blueprint. Links to both documents are below.