An article in the latest issue of Homeland Security Today discusses Federal preparedness for a large scale Chemical or Biological event. According to the conclusion of experts:

If America were to be beset by a biological or chemical weapons attack, who would be in charge of responding?

According to the consensus of the post-9/11 Commission Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense arrived at during its fourth and final meeting last week, “The federal government doesn’t have a good answer to that question.â€

 The article goes into the issue at length, with input from some of the most widely recognized experts in the industry, including former Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Pulitzer award winning author Sherri Fink, Dr. Peter Marghella, former director of the New York State Office of Emergency Management, and Dr. James Blair, former Chief of Staff of the US Army 7th Medical Command and HCA Vice President.

As we have long stated in this blog and with our clients, lack of disaster preparedness is demonstrated time and again in healthcare and yet when efforts are made to correct the problem, such as in the Proposed Rule CMS 3178, political influence and obstruction prevent meaningful improvements.