RIST-NCR in Action:
2011 Presidential State of the Union Address
The RIST-NCR provides a coordination role, integrating into the various roles of the incident command structure. Under the leadership of team leader CAPT Betty Chern-Hughes, RIST-NCR successfully deployed to support the Emergency Management Group (EMG) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Operation Center (SOC) and/or the National Capital Area Incident Response Coordination Team (IRCT) during 10 public health emergencies and nationally significant events including the 2011 President’s State of the Union Address (SOTUA).
On January 25, 2011, President Barack Obama delivered his annual SOTUA to a joint session of Congress, the justices of the Supreme Court, the President’s Cabinet, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, state governors, and invited guests were in attendance. U.S. Secret Service, the lead federal agency for security during the event, along with the U.S. Capitol Police and the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP), requested support from all federal departments to support consequence management efforts related to a potential threat.
RIST-NCR and strike teams enabled HHS to assist OAP with this national special security event. Their actions are commendable and bring pride to the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) and HHS.
RADM Boris Lushniak, Deputy Surgeon General, offered support and appreciation to over 100 members of the RIST-NCR and medical strike teams who deployed to provide immediate medical and public health needs of our nation’s leaders during this high-profile event.
The 19-membered RIST-NCR team stationed the coordination centers, as administration/finance, logistics, planning, and operations sections, along with the liaisons to partner agencies, helped the National Capital Area IRCT successfully implement its mission.
If you are in the Washington Metropolitan Area and are interested in joining RIST-NCR team, please contact CAPT Betty Chern-Hughes at betty.chern-hughes@hhs.gov for more information.
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HHS, Office of Public Health and Science |