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Strategic
National Stockpile
.
The CDC’s Division of Strategic National
Stockpile (DSNS) controls and maintains
a repository of
antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins,
vaccines, antiviral drugs and other life-saving
medical materiel. The DSNS mission is to deliver
these critical medical assets to the scene of a
national emergency.
During a public health
emergency, state and local public health systems
may be overwhelmed. The SNS materiel is designed
to supplement and re-supply state and local
public health agencies in the event of an
emergency within the United States or its
territories.
The SNS materiel
is organized for flexible response:
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If the threat
posed by a public health emergency is unknown,
the first line of support lies with the 12-hour
Push Packages – so called because they can be
delivered anywhere in the United States and/or
its territories within 12 hours of the federal
decision to deploy. The 12-hour Push Packages
are 50-ton caches of pharmaceuticals, antidotes
and medical supplies designed for rapid
deployment. Each push package is stocked with a
broad spectrum of materiel to combat any number
of public health threats.
-
If the nature
of the public health emergency is known, CDC
officials can send Managed Inventory (MI) to
combat the threat. MI is maintained at
facilities throughout the United States by
either CDC or contract vendors. MI is also used
to re-supply deployed 12-hour Push Packages. MI
can be expected to arrive within 24 to 36 hours
of a federal deployment decision.
During an emergency, a state
determines if there is a need for SNS assets and
requests federal assistance. Discussions between
state and federal organizations are initiated and a
decision is made at the federal level to deploy
assets. DSNS works with federal, state and local
health officials to determine what assets are
needed. The material is shipped to the state and
each states Strategic National Stockpile Program
will distribute to local partners.
Additionally
there are nerve agent antidotes and medicines for
use in radiation events that have been forward
deployed in each state. These materials are
managed and maintained through active partnerships
with Federal, State, and local entities.
The West Virginia Strategic
National Stockpile Program continues to plan,
develop,
and implement processes at all
levels of government to improve West Virginia’s
ability to respond and protect its citizens and
guests during these types of events.
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Jim Sowards
Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator
Bureau For Public Health, Threat Preparedness
505 Capitol St, Suite 200
Charleston WV 25301
(304) 558-6900
Jim.Sowards@wv.gov
Elizabeth J. Scharman, Pharm.D., DABAT, BCPS, FAACT
Deputy, SNS Coordinator
(304) 347-1212
escharman@hsc.wvu.edu
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