U.S. Army Public Health Center (APHC) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) Task Force Response Public Health Information Paper

reportActive / Technical Report | Accesssion Number: AD1163516 | Open PDF

Abstract:

This report documents U.S. Army Public Health Center (APHC) activities and products in support of the Armys coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, January 2020-March 2021. Over $42 million was spent on APHC COVID-19 activities during this time frame; the majority paid for by supplemental FY20 CARES Act funds. In March 2020, the APHC COVID-19 Task Force was formed. Each month, approximately 6,000 APHC Civilian and military hours were dedicated to Task Force support. Request for information (RFI) volume was highest upon initial Task Force formation, with 262 RFIs in April 2020. RFI volume remained constant September 2020 to March 2021, with 53 RFIs per month on average. From February 2020 to March 2021, over 1,400 social media content items were published, resulting in more than 1 million impressions reaching over 647,000 persons. In addition, content uploaded into Sprinklr was utilized 567 times, reaching over 5 million users. APHC also obtained funding enabling enhanced laboratory surveillance and pooled sampling capabilities across the Army Public Health Laboratory Enterprise (APHLE), and from May 2020-March 2021, the APHLE processed 176,841 samples in 20,092 pools, saving 161,450 diagnostic assays. Public health surveillance and reporting began in March 2020, with the establishment of COVID-19 reporting in the Disease Reporting System internet (DRSi). Recurring reports were initially provided three times per day, 7 days per week. Throughout this time frame, Task Force lessons learned were collected and shared with the MEDCOM Center for Lessons Learned. In May 2021, semi-structured interviews of Army Public Health senior leaders provided numerous recommendations for the planning, response, and recovery phases of future public health emergencies. These insights should be used to guide future preparations and decisions regarding public health infrastructure required to maintain essential emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Author(s):
Canham-chervak, Michelle ; Klingseis, Kerri ; Dorak, Marjorie ; Carlson, Mamie ; Meier, Stephanie ; Starbuck, Steven ; White, G. W.
Author Organization(s):
U.S. Army Public Health Center
Funding Organization(s):
U.S. Army Public Health Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground , MD
Document Type:
Technical Report/Final Report
Publication Date:
2021 Dec 31
Pagination:
128

Security Markings

DOCUMENT & CONTEXTUAL SUMMARY

Distribution Code:
A - Approved For Public Release
Distribution Statement: Public Release

RECORD

Collection: TRECMS
Identifying Numbers
Report Number(s):
PHIP-98-04-1021
Project Number(s):
WBS S.0078054.1
Subject Terms
Modernization Areas:
AI and Machine Learning
Communities of Interest:
No COI(s) Identified
Descriptor(s):
health services, covid-19, medical personnel, hygiene, social media, organizational structure, quarantine, emergency response, electronic mail, knowledge management, lessons learned, public health, mathematical models, public health emergencies, therapy
Keyword(s):
aphc (Army Public Health Center), rfi (Request for information), aphle (Army Public Health Laboratory Enterprise), drsi (Disease Reporting System internet), EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Subject Categories:
Biological and Medical Sciences; Military Sciences
Creation Date:
2022 Mar 15
Update Date:
2022 May 03