21 August 2006
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[Federal Register: August 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 161)]
[Notices]
[Page 48547-48548]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21au06-63]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP); Office of
Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (OPHEMC)
AGENCY: Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP)/Office
of Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (OPHEMC), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to
announce the BioShield Stakeholders Workshop. The BioShield
Stakeholders Workshop is being convened to provide individual
stakeholders with an opportunity to gain insight into the current
BioShield interagency governance process and to provide input into the
draft HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (PHEMC)
Strategy for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN)
Threats.
DATES: The Workshop will be held on September 25-26, 2006. Pre-
registration is available via the Web site shown below. On-site
registration will also be possible, space permitting. On-site
registration, if offered, will begin at 8 a.m. on September 25. The
meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will end at approximately 6 p.m. on
both days.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott,
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. The Crystal Gateway
Marriott is located directly above the Crystal City Metro Station on
the yellow and blue Metro lines.
Register: Please visit http://www.hhs.gov/ophep/ophemc/ to register
online. The deadline for online registration is Monday, September 18,
2006. On-site registration will also be available at the meeting, space
permitting. Seating is limited, so register today!
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Health and Human Services
is pleased to announce the upcoming HHS BioShield Stakeholders
Workshop. The goals of the HHS BioShield Stakeholders Workshop are:
1. To provide its attendees with insight into the current BioShield
interagency governance process; and
2. To provide individual stakeholders with an opportunity to help
guide the future implementation of Project BioShield by providing input
into the draft HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures
(PHEMC) Strategy for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear
(CBRN) Threats.
The draft PHEMC Strategy for CBRN Threats is being developed under
the leadership of the Office of Public Health Emergency Medical
Countermeasures (OPHEMC) within the Office of Public Health Emergency
Preparedness (OPHEP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and
will be published in the Federal Register prior
[[Page 48548]]
to this workshop. This Strategy will define the principles guiding HHS
medical countermeasure research, development and acquisition.
The BioShield Stakeholders Workshop will be an open meeting for
representatives from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries,
professional societies, State and local public health organizations,
the academic research and development community, public interest
groups, stakeholder Federal agencies, and Congress.
The BioShield Stakeholders Workshop is being convened, and the
PHEMC Strategy for CBRN Threats is being developed and published, to
fulfill the promise that Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O.
Leavitt made on March 16, 2006, in his testimony before the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. During his
testimony, Secretary Leavitt pledged to:
work closely with other departments and agencies to streamline and
make more effective the current BioShield interagency governance
process. We will make this process more transparent and work to
educate the public and industry about our priorities and
opportunities. As part of this, HHS will convene an outreach meeting
with these external stakeholders later this year.
OPHEP leads Federal efforts to prepare the nation to prevent and
mitigate the health effects of disasters, natural or manmade. As part
of this important mission, OPHEMC, within OPHEP, plays a leadership
role in the advanced development and acquisition of medical
countermeasures, including implementation of the Project BioShield Act
of 2004.
The purpose of Project BioShield is to accelerate the research,
development, acquisition, and availability of effective medical
countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
(CBRN) threats. The Special Reserve Fund (SRF), a discretionary reserve
of $5.6 billion for the advanced development and purchase of priority
medical countermeasures over 10 years, was authorized under Project
BioShield to support this mission.
For more information regarding the BioShield Stakeholders Workshop,
and to register for the Workshop, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/ophep/ophemc/
.
Dated: August 15, 2006.
Carol Linden,
Deputy Director, OPHEMC.
[FR Doc. 06-7033 Filed 8-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-M