Developing Global Standards for Public Health Emergency Operations Centers

This single-source funding opportunity announcement (FOA) Developing Global Standards for Public Health Emergency Operations Centers in Collaboration with the World Health Organization invites an application from the World Health Organization (WHO) Public Health Emergency Operations Centres Network (EOC-NET) for a three-year cooperative agreement between the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the WHO EOC-NET. The envisioned ASPR-WHO EOC-NET collaborative agreement continues the long-standing collaborations between the United States and the WHO aimed at safeguarding all countries from public health threats, fulfilling the goals of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). The goals of this cooperative agreement are to validate and promote global standards construction and operations of public health emergency operations centers (EOC); develop the partnership network among the WHO member states; and institutionalize a platform for international EOC exercises. The WHO EOC-NET is a collaborative arrangement among the WHO and the WHO member states. It improves the EOC communication technology and infrastructure, data sets and standards, procedures and plans, and training and exercises. The key areas of work (up to now) included forming the EOC-NET membership terms of reference and website, establishing a global meeting format, and producing an initial, overarching guidance document for developing and implementing a public health EOC. The EOC-NET is the basis for a profession among senior public health emergency management professionals, technologists, and epidemiologists to further develop, refine, and validate those guidelines and standards through organized international projects, systems research, inter-EOC exchanges, and field projects. The first edition of the EOC Framework was published in 2015 after extensive multilateral consultations and technical research. The EOC Framework is the foundation for development of a number of practical, standardization handbooks that will improve national and international public health emergency management while making efficient use of limited resources. This FOA recognizes the unique roles and responsibilities of the WHO and the EOC-NET to guide, standardize, organize, convene, and evaluate regional and country-level activities. The goal is aimed at enhancing international public health emergency preparedness, response, and recovery within appropriate political and legal considerations. This FOA calls for a proposal for a cooperative agreement that spans a wide range of activities with the potential to meet the objectives of the federal government, HHS, ASPR, and the WHO.