Dear Fellow Commissioned Corps Officers,
The President’s FY2021 Budget was released on Monday, and I am pleased to state that the budget proposal is aligned with, and supportive of, our modernization efforts. In addition to continued funding for implementing the Ready Reserve, the President’s Budget proposes $1 million to support a readiness and training program for the Commissioned Corps to prepare for complex missions both domestically and internationally. This initial investment will provide training for Commissioned Corps officers, with the priority focus on those Commissioned Corps officers supporting rapid deployment units. To my knowledge, this is the first dedicated funding proposed for training in the modern era. I am personally and overwhelmingly grateful to Secretary Azar and Acting Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources Jen Moughalian for their enthusiastic and unflinching support.
The President’s Budget also proposes $10 million in support of the Administration’s strategic initiative to address unsheltered homelessness and, separately, unsheltered veteran homelessness in the United States. Commissioned Corps leadership has worked diligently for months with White House and interagency colleagues to develop a public health and medical engagement strategy, coordinated with a broader set of initiatives, to address America’s homelessness crisis. Deployment efforts are expected to include initial health assessments, triage, medical stabilization including mental health screening, and care coordination – all of which would be combined with a larger program of human services including housing, nutrition, education, and training.
This is a great example of how we are making real a key component of our vision, namely, that the Commissioned Corps will be “a fundamental instrument of national response for non-emergent, yet critical, public health challenges within the United States and territories.” I will discuss more about this initiative at our upcoming Commissioned Corps Town Hall, scheduled for Monday, February 24, 2020 from 1400 to 1500.
Thank you again for all you do on behalf of our service and our nation. Each day, you demonstrate that we are, indeed, America’s Health Responders.
Sincerely,
Brett P. Giroir, MD
ADM, USPHS
Assistant Secretary for Health