Letters

Neurosurgery Urges Senate to Reauthorize Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act

  • Emergency/Trauma Care and Stroke
  • The Honorable Bernard Sanders, Chair
    Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
    Pensions
    U.S. Senate
    428 Senate Dirksen Office Building
    Washington, DC 20510
  • The Honorable Bill Cassidy, MD, Ranking Member
    Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
    Pensions
    U.S. Senate
    428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    Washington, DC 20510
  • The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr.
    U.S. Senate
    393 Russell Senate Office Building
    Washington, DC 20510
  • The Honorable Mitt Romney
    U.S. Senate
    354 Russell Senate Office Building
    Washington, DC 20510

Subject: Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) Reauthorization

Dear Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Cassidy and Sens. Casey and Romney:

On behalf of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), we would like to thank you for the opportunity to provide comments and suggestions as you prepare to develop legislation to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). This bipartisan legislation provides critical support for our nation’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Reauthorizing PAHPA’s essential health programs will continue to foster opportunities for these ongoing successful public-private collaborations. The AANS and the CNS urge you to include the following programs in the PAHPA reauthorization legislation.

Current PAHPA Programs (ASPR)

Hospital Preparedness Program

The Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) provides funding through cooperative agreements and grants to states, territories and eligible municipalities to improve the capacity of the health care system to plan for and respond to medical surge events. HPP is intended to improve patient outcomes, minimize the need for supplemental emergency funding and enable rapid recovery. By reauthorizing HPP, Congress can continue improving the U.S. health care system’s ability to save lives during emergencies and disasters.

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