USPHS Response Teams

1. Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB)
2. USPHS Commissioned Corps Response Structure Ready Responder 2.0 Structure (as of June 2022)
3. Past USPHS Response Teams (prior to Oct 2020) (for historical information only)

Note: CCHQ disbanded all USPHS Response Teams in 2019-2020 and has moved towards a new structure to include Public Health Emergency Response Strike Teams (PHERST) and Rapid Deployment Units (RDUs).  Information presented here on past USPHS Response Teams is for historical information only. 

The information listed on the HSPAC Readiness Subcommittee site is meant to provide a brief overview on RDB and the USPHS Response Teams. For RDB contact information, please visit the “About CCHQ RDB” webpage.

Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB)

The Commissioned Corps Readiness Force (CCRF) was created by the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) in 1994 to improve the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ability to respond to public health emergencies. Operational management for the CCRF was transferred to the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) in October 1997, at which time a CCRF Workgroup was established to develop a mission statement and operations plan. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the anthrax attacks, OEP became the Office of Emergency Response (OER) and was transferred to the fledgling Department of Homeland Security. CCRF was concurrently transferred back to OSG in March 2003. CCRF was subsequently subsumed under the new Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) in 2004. In 2013, OFRD was renamed the Readiness and Deployment Operations Group (RedDOG).  In 2019, the name was changed to the Readiness and Deployment Branch, or RDB, which is its current official name.

Visit the “About CCHQ RDB” site for more information about RDB and how to contact them.

USPHS Commissioned Corps Response Structure Ready Responder 2.0 Structure (as of June 2022)

In February of 2020, CCHQ began supporting COVID-19 responses. This was the first of more than 4,400 deployments carried out by the USPHS Commissioned Corps over the last two years in support of COVID-19.

Commissioned Corps leadership understands the growing need to deploy America’s Health Responders and the importance of balance and distribution of deployment opportunities for all Public Health Service officers. In this regard, Commissioned Corps leadership worked with agency leadership to lower the number of Public Health Service officers on mission critical status and reviewed the on call rotational schedule. Using this approach ensures diversity of deployment roles and agency distribution.

The Ready Responder 2.0 structure moves our service away from pre-configured teams into tiered Rapid Deployable Units (RDUs) that can be rostered to support pre-determined unit manning lists, strike teams, task forces, or single resource assets. The new one-tiered structure of five deployment teams allows CCHQ to offer greater flexibility, a more robust cadre to support any hazards as well as multiple missions that might occur simultaneously. 

CCHQ worked to ensure this approach is an equitable opportunity for all Public Health Service officers to deploy, but also effectively meeting the requesting partner’s response needs. Under the new infrastructure CCHQ will deploy Public Health Service officers based on skill set, availability, and windows of opportunity provided by the mission assignment.

Public Health Service officers will be notified of their on-call month via the Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB) Self-service portal. CCHQ will continue the 30-days notification approach prior to a Public Health Service officers on-call month to ensure supervisors are aware of their “Alert” status. Official notifications of the termination of on-call status at the end of the alert period will be provided by RDB to each Public Health Service officer via the Self-Service portal. 

When on alert and needed, Public Health Service officers will be contacted first to confirm availability. Upon confirmation, the Public Health Service officer will be rostered. RDB will notify the Agency Liaisons and request concurrence for Public Health Service officers necessary to deploy based on the mission needs. Once concurrence is received, the Public Health Service officer will be placed on a roster and activated for deployment. Prior to deployment, Public Health Service officers will receive a pre-mobilization briefing. Post deployment, Public Health Service officers will rotate to the bottom of the team roster to ensure equity in deployments.

While the team response structure has changed, all previous components will remain, which allows RDB to be more efficient and effectively meet the demands of the nation. RDB will continue to manage deployments and designate leaders during the rostering process.

Past USPHS Response Teams (prior to Oct 2020) (for historical information only)

NOTE: The USPHS Response Teams were disbanded by CCHQ in 2019-2020.  All information presented here is for historical information only. 

The USPHS Response Teams were created in 2006 as part of the National Response Plan’s ESF-8 public health and medical asset provisions. The teams may be deployed in response to an ESF-8 or non-ESF-8 public health emergency. The USPHS Response Teams consist of seven different types of scalable teams, with each team filling a different deployment role. Below, please find the current list and brief description of the various USPHS Response teams.

• Rapid Deployment Forces Team (RDF): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Rapid Deployment Forces (RDF) provide resources and assistance to State, Tribal and local health authorities throughout the United States. There are currently five RDF teams, each of which is a workforce comprising 125+ trained USPHS Commissioned Corps officer responders.
• Applied Public Health Team (APHT): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Applied Public Health Teams (APHT) provide resources and assistance to local health authorities throughout the United States. There are currently five APHT teams, each of which is a work force comprising 47 USPHS trained Commissioned Corps officer responders.
• Mental Health Team (MHT): The U.S. Public Health Service’s (USPHS) Mental Health Teams (MHT) provide resources and assistance to communities throughout the United States. There are currently five MHT teams, each of which is a work force comprising 26 USPHS trained Commissioned Corps officer responders.
• Services Access Team (SAT): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Services Access Teams (SAT) provide resources and assistance to local health authorities throughout the United States. Each SAT is comprised of 10 USPHS trained Commissioned Corps officer responders; enabling scalability and ability to provide only those resources needed.
• National Incident Support Team (NIST): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) National Incident Support Teams (NIST) provide resources and assistance to State, Tribal and local health authorities throughout the United States, usually as the Commissioned Corps component of an Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT). The NIST consists of 72 USPHS trained Commissioned Corps officer responders.
• Regional Incident Support Team (RIST): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Regional Incident Support Teams (RIST) provide rapid assessments and initial incident coordination resources and assistance to State, Tribal and local health authorities within defined regions of the United States. There are currently 11 RIST teams, each of which is aligned with one of the HHS regions (including the National Capital Region) and is a workforce comprising 12-30 trained USPHS Commissioned Corps officer responders.
• Capital Area Provider Teams (CAP): The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Capital Area Provider (CAP) teams provide medical and public health resources and assistance in the National Capital Region (NCR) during special events and other supported activities. They were created with a primary mission to augment the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP) medical staff supplying care during events at the United States Capitol. There are currently five CAP teams, each of which is a workforce comprising five trained USPHS Commissioned Corps officer responders.