[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71913-71914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19809]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response


Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of 
Authority

AGENCY: Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces revisions to the organizations within 
the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

DATES: These revisions were approved by the Administrator and Assistant 
Secretary of ASPR on July 2, 2024, and became effective on July 2, 
2024.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Part A, Office of the Secretary, Statement 
of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority of the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is being amended at 
Chapter AN, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response (ASPR), as last amended at 88 FR 10125 (Feb. 16, 2023), 85 FR 
8302 (Feb. 13, 2020), 83 FR 33941 (July 18, 2018), 79 FR 70.535 (Nov. 
26, 2014), 78 FR 25277 (April 30, 2013), 78 FR 7784 (Feb. 4, 2013), 75 
FR 35.035 (June 21, 2010) to refine the functions within ASPR to more 
closely align with ASPR's Operating Division status and expansion of 
mission which includes preparing for and responding to ever-increasing 
man-made and naturally occurring threats which have the potential to 
degrade public health, access to healthcare, access to emergency 
medical services, and national security.
    In 2023, ASPR underwent a major reorganization that was designed to 
recognize the Agency's expanded scope of work as a new Operating 
Division, simplify the organizational structure, provide greater role 
clarity, and increase collaboration across teams. These changes were 
targeted in nature and focused on areas where the mission had recently 
expanded. Since the implementation of ASPR's 2023 reorganization, the 
Agency has undergone additional, modest adjustments to its 
organizational structure to better clarify missions, roles, and 
responsibilities at the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS)-level, Office-
level, and Division level. Substantive changes to ASPR organizations 
are noted below. The changes are as follows:
Global Change: Naming Conventions for ASPR Components
    To more closely align with the maturation of ASPR's Operating 
Division status and mission of the organization, the titles for the 
ASPR component overseen by an ASPR Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) are 
now called ``Centers'' instead of ``Offices.'' The chart below provides 
the previous title and the new title.

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             Previous title                         New title
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Immediate Office of the ASPR...........  Immediate Office of the ASPR
                                          (no change).
Office of Administration...............  Center for Administration.
Office of Preparedness.................  Center for Preparedness.
Office of Response.....................  Center for Response.
Office of Biomedical Advanced Research   Center for the Biomedical
 Development Authority.                   Advanced Research Development
                                          Authority.
Office of HHS Coordination, Operations,  Center for the HHS Coordination
 and Response Element.                    Operations and Response
                                          Element.
Office of Industrial Base Management     Center for Industrial Base
 and Supply Chain.                        Management and Supply Chain.
Office of the Strategic National         Center for the Strategic
 Stockpile.                               National Stockpile.
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[[Page 71914]]

    The following organizational updates by Center are modifications 
from the Agency's 2023 reorganization. All other organizational 
structure remains as previously noticed in the 2023 Federal Register 
Notice.

Center for Administration

 New Office: Office of Facilities Management
 Office Name Change: Update Office of Human Capital to Office 
of Human Resources

Center for Preparedness

 Office Name Change: Update Office of Security and Intelligence 
to Office of Security, Vetting, and Protection
 Office Name Change: Update the Office of Information 
Management, Data, and Analytics to Office of Data, Analytics, and 
Information Advantage

Center for Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain

 Office Name Change: Update Office of Personal Protective 
Equipment and Durable Medical Equipment to Office of Critical Medical 
Equipment
 Office Name Change: Update Office of Advanced Manufacturing 
Technologies to the Office of Enabling Innovations and Technologies

Center for the HHS Coordination Operations and Response Element

    In 2022, the Secretary of HHS transitioned the DOD-HHS partnership 
that was formerly called Operation Warp Speed into ASPR as the HHS 
Coordination and Operations Response Element or H-CORE. Moving H-CORE 
fully into ASPR provided ASPR with sole responsibility for the 
development, manufacture, and distribution of the nation's COVID-19 
vaccines and therapeutics.
    H-CORE reports to the Administrator and Assistant Secretary for 
Preparedness and Response (the ASPR) and works in partnership with 
other entities across ASPR, such as the Center for the Biomedical 
Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the Center for the 
Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), and the Center for Industrial Base 
Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC), to deploy vaccines, therapeutics, 
and other medical countermeasures products and supplies to the American 
public during infectious disease outbreaks and other public health 
emergencies. H-CORE coordinates and accelerates the logistics readiness 
and operations in response to infectious diseases, public health 
emergencies, and disasters in support of the ASPR.
    H-CORE is headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary and includes the 
following components:

 Office Name Change: Update from Office of Analytics to Office 
of Analytics, Data, and IT
 Office Name Change: Update from Office of Plans to Office of 
Planning and Operational Coordination
 Office of Supply, Production, and Distribution
 New Office: Office of Infectious Disease Response
 Delete Office: Office of Security and Assurance
 Delete Office: Office of Vaccine Development Coordination
 Delete Office: Office of Therapeutics Development Coordination

    I. Delegations of Authority: All delegations and redelegations of 
authority made to officials and employees of affected organizational 
components will endure pending further redelegation, provided they are 
consistent with this reorganization.
    All updates herein supersede any prior directives pertaining to the 
establishment of Agency components, including but not limited to 
directives pertaining to the establishment of H-CORE.
    The Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and 
Response of ASPR, Dawn O'Connell, having reviewed and approved this 
document, authorizes Adam DeVore, who is the Federal Register Liaison, 
to electronically sign this document for purposes of publication in the 
Federal Register.

Adam DeVore,
Federal Register Liaison, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and 
Response.
[FR Doc. 2024-19809 Filed 9-3-24; 8:45 am]
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