If the recent needs for medical supplies in Haiti and Chile have you wondering what might happen should a disaster strike our region, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has an answer. The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) program, formed in 1999, is designed to deliver critically needed medical and pharmaceutical supplies "to any U.S. location in the event of a terrorist attack or a natural or technological disaster. In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became a manager of deployment of SNS, partnering with the CDC. A state's governor's office can notify either DHS or CDC to request help from the SNS.

The basic unit of the SNS is the 12-hour Push Package. Within 12 hours of "the federal decision to deploy" the package will be delivered by air or ground, depending on the situation. The push package is designed "to include nearly everything a state will need to respond to a broad range of threats." Other shipments, known as Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) are designed to meet specific needs after the type of threat is defined. These VMI shipments can include specific vaccines, or medical supplies for certain agents. The VMIs arrive 24 to 36 hours after deployment.

Karen Weaver, Jackson County Health Department director, recently presented information about the SNS to the county commissioners. She was seeking county employees to volunteer to be trained as local SNS workers in the event of an emergency.

According to official information on the SNS, "A team of technical advisors will also deploy at the same time as the first shipment." This team, a Technical Advisory Response Unit (TARU) includes "pharmacists, emergency responders, and logistics experts that will advise local authorities on receiving, distributing, dispensing, replenishing and recovering SNS material." Members of TARU would work with locals to distribute needed supplies to area hospitals and nursing homes.

One of the times the SNS program was tested was after the events of September 11, 2001. The state of New York requested help and received a 12-hour Push Package that arrived in 7 hours after the order to deploy. During the anthrax threats, which followed the terrorist attacks, SNS also assisted several states.

In addition to providing materials and advisors, the SNS educates state and local health care providers and emergency management agencies. Because of the number of hours involved in shipping materials, the SNS is not considered a first responder, but helps train and provide for first responders all over the nation.