Lawmakers and public health officials, along with officials from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, have launched the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Pandemic Preparedness & Health Security.
This nonpartisan group will convene educational policy briefings and technology demonstrations for Capitol Hill offices, federal agencies, and the invited public to strengthen U.S. health security. It forms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has revealed the national consequences that infectious disease epidemics can cause.
“The profound effects of this pandemic must galvanize the US Government to do everything in its power to prevent this from happening again,” Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said. “With nearly 200 epidemics occurring each year, the next fast-moving, novel infectious disease pandemic could be right around the corner. We must be better prepared.”
The Steering Committee will host monthly events focused on lessons learned from responses to natural, manmade, and other complex health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants will also discuss how to better mitigate and respond to future health crises and improve the United States’ ability to protect Americans from the next health security threat.
The committee is made up of U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS). It also includes former CDC Deputy Director Stephen Redd; former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; and former HHS ASPR W. Craig Vanderwagen.
The Steering Committee is sponsored and managed by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.