The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opened a new medical office to oversee public-health activities within the department, the agency has announced.
The Office of Health Security (OHS) will consolidate the DHS's medical, public health and workforce health and safety undertakings, according to the DHS's July 19 announcement. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pritesh Gandhi will lead the OHS, the announcement states.
Gandhi said he is "honored" to lead the OHS as it unites the "outstanding" DHS-wide expertise in public and workforce health and safety measures, the DHS reports.
“We will focus on promoting a healthier and safer workforce," Ghandi said in the report, "supporting appropriate and timely medical care for those in our care and custody, ensuring a robust health security posture, and being a strong partner and advocate with and for our inter-agency and community partners.”
The OHS is the result of a collaboration between DHS and Congressional leadership to establish a central authority within the DHS to streamline health-security efforts, which the DHS called an "urgent necessity" in response to recent events from the COVID-19 pandemic, to natural disasters and an influx of unaccompanied minor migrants, according to the statement.
The restructuring will coordinate and standardize various workforce health and safety, work-life and wellness programs within DHS to better prepare for and respond to the health impacts of various disasters or terrorism, the DHS states.
"Over the past several years, Americans have faced a series of unprecedented challenges impacting their health security, from the pandemic to natural disasters and more," DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the announcement. "Our Department must be prepared to adapt to an ever-expanding, dynamic, and complex public health threat landscape. The Office of Health Security will lead our efforts to meet that charge."
