[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE COMMISSION CORPS

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Madam Speaker, the United States Public Health Service 
Commission Corps is one of the Nation's uniformed service branches on 
the front lines of public health access across our country and our 
world.
  Since wildfires destroyed Lahaina last August, 86 officers have been 
deployed to Maui to support behavioral health, disaster recovery, and 
environmental health responses.
  They provided clinical care, created safe spaces for people to face 
their trauma, and made sure that first responders got the mental health 
support they needed, too. They even help initiate a biosurveillance 
program to monitor toxic exposure on first responders and the Hawaii 
National Guard.
  Understanding the importance of meeting people where they are at, 
they provided services at schools, at congregate and non-congregate 
shelters, and at community events. Working with trusted local entities, 
they developed a mandatory cultural briefing for all responders, 
greatly enhancing their ability to care for a community in crisis.
  The next time you thank our uniformed service branches for their 
service to our country, remember the men and the women of the Public 
Health Corps. When the health and wellbeing of our communities are on 
the line, when you need them, they will be there.

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