WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, today held a hearing examining the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) preparedness for, and response to, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
“This committee has been conducting oversight of the federal response to the recent hurricanes since shortly after Harvey made landfall in Texas. Unfortunately, I expect that our work here will continue for years to come," said #SubOversight Vice Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-VA). “The committee’s jurisdiction involves not just the public health issues we will be discussing today, but also rebuilding the electrical grid, addressing environmental cleanup, and restoring telecommunications, to name only a few."
“Making sure that Americans in need get the assistance they require, cannot and should not be a partisan matter," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). “If certain agencies are not pulling their weight, we want to know; if there are federal laws or policies that are impeding the recovery efforts, we want to know that as well."
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., highlighted the agency’s unprecedented response, stating, “Each natural disaster brings unique challenges. But the magnitude of these storms, and their historic impact, has required FDA to engage in ways we have not before, in order to minimize the effects on consumers, health care delivery, and the U.S. medical supply, in addition to addressing the direct challenges faced by our fellow citizens."
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), HHS, Robert P. Kadlec, M.D., spoke to ASPR’s continued goals in response to the hurricanes, stating, “Our strategy in the hurricane response has been three fold: save lives, stabilize the healthcare system, then restore services. In some areas, such as Puerto Rico, we are still in the response mode of saving lives and stabilizing health care services."
Ms. Kimberly Brandt, Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), highlighted their efforts to work with state and local government, saying, “This hurricane season has forced us to think outside of the box for creative ways to support and communicate with those serving the communities impacted by the storms… CMS will continue to build upon our recent experiences from these significant storms to improve our readiness for the next natural disaster."
In talking about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ongoing efforts on the ground, Rear Admiral Upper Half Stephen C. Redd, MD, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, CDC, said, “CDC recognizes that the full recovery from the recent hurricanes will take some time, particularly for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands where the damage is extensive, but we are here to continue providing support. We will continue to work with FEMA, and all of our federal partners, over the next several years during this long period of recovery."
Last week, bipartisan committee leaders sent a letter to Dr. Jack Michel, Owner of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, LLC, the Florida nursing home that lost 14 residents in the wake of Hurricane Irma, after the facility’s air conditioning failed. The letter requested a detailed briefing and documents from the owner of the facility.
