Dear Commissioned Corps officers,
Thursday, November 15, was a historic day for the Commissioned Corps. Our service hosted two important and memorable events – the unveiling of the Ebola Survivor Wall, and the 2017 Hurricane Response: Joint Services Awards Ceremony.
We will never forget this day. It was an honor to stand next to Secretary Alex Azar as we acknowledged the work of the Commissioned Corps during the Ebola Outbreak in 2014 and the 2017 Hurricane Response. I’d like to share a couple of the key highlights from each of these events along with highlight videos and links to the pictures.
During 2014 and 2015, the Commissioned Corps was on the front lines of the Ebola outbreak – staffing the Monrovia Medical Unit, a 25-bed field hospital where officers provided care to healthcare workers who were infected with, or significantly exposed to, the Ebola virus. The Commissioned Corps mission in Liberia was to care for health care workers so they, in turn, could care for Ebola patients throughout the region, and, ultimately provide hope and a commitment to care for those who were fighting Ebola on the front lines.
During this response, the Commissioned Corps created a “Survivor Wall” from a bin of scraps left by the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division. The maritime blue tarp was affixed to the wood and was adorned with handprints of survivors in the best version of Quarantine yellow available n Liberia – purposefully the colors of the Public Health Service flag.
As Rear Admiral Scott Giberson, Commander of the Commissioned Corps during the Ebola response, said during the unveiling, “As these providers were cured and left their mark, this wall stood as a beacon of hope. It symbolized the tradition of excellence of our Corps, the partnership of nations, and the resilience of the individuals that survived.”
To watch the highlights from the unveiling of the Survivor Wall, please visit: https://youtu.be/r9aZmXNMrU4
We also recognized and celebrated a singularly important joint response activity, wherein uniformed service members from both Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps deployed in support of response and recovery efforts in the wake of the devastation caused last year by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
To watch the highlight video of the 2017 Hurricane Response: Joint Services Awards Ceremony, please visit: https://youtu.be/RRd9iTGvUe8
It is my firmest and most heartfelt belief that the Commissioned Corps is uniquely suited to be an agent of change for the health and economic prosperity of our great nation, and I commit to doing everything possible to strengthen our capabilities and vital role as we move forward into our third century of service.
Sincerely,
Brett P. Giroir, MD
ADM, United States Public Health Service
Assistant Secretary for Health