Partner Town Halls

TH02 - Health Security is Homeland Security: The Intersection of Homeland Security and Public Health

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT

Moderator(s)

James S. Blumenstock, MA

Chief Program Officer, Health Security
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Speaker(s)

Alexander Eastman, MD, MPH, FACS, FAEMS

Senior Medical Officer - Operations
US Department of Homeland Security

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Teresa Ehnert, MA

Bureau Chief, Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Arizona Department of Health Services

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RG

Robert Guerrero, MBA

Chief, Office of Border Health
Arizona Department of Health Services

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Eduardo Olivarez

Public Health Chief Administrative Officer
Hidalgo County (TX) Department of Health and Human Services

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Management of 2018-2019 surge at the Southwest Border required a multi-layer approach and collaboration between federal, state and local homeland security and public health authorities. DHS (ICE, CBP, USCG), in collaboration with federal partners such as HHS (CDC, ORR, APSR, USPHS), and association partners, ASTHO and NACCHO, worked to identify bottlenecks and propose solutions to identified and potential public health threats. Situations such as this pinpoint the need for a national medical screening and health surveillance system that mirrors or overlays existing law enforcement missions; with a goal of protecting the health and safety of all.

As the response to COVID-19 grew, the intersection between homeland security and public health continued to evolve highlighting the need for continued information sharing and collaboration.

Representatives from DHS/CWMD will discuss their work managing and collaborating with HHS and other partners to mitigate the effects of infectious diseases (including COVID-19) on detainee populations, while state and local representatives will provide the jurisdictional perspective on response and communication with federal agencies, Mexican health counterparts and other applicable partners for surveillance information and resource sharing. Presenters will also detail their local response actions to care for individuals and local communities through public and private partnerships.