Emergency Response Since 1999
Commissioned Corps emergency response teams are managed by the Office of the Surgeon General. They are trained and equipped to respond to public health crises and national emergencies, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks. The teams are multidisciplinary and are capable of responding to domestic and international humanitarian missions. Officers have responded to many such emergencies in the past, including:
1999—hospital center at Fort Dix, NJ, for Kosovo refugees
2001—terrorist attacks
2001—anthrax attacks
2004/2005—tsunami and earthquake in Indonesia
2005—hurricanes Katrina and Rita
2006—earthquake in Hawaii
2006—medicine contamination in Panama
2008- Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
2009- Tsunami and earthquake in American Samoa
2010- Earthquake in Haiti
2010- Deepwater Horizon oil spill response
2011- Tsunami in Japan
Read more about this topic: United States Public Health Service
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