United States Public Health Service Nurses: Deployment in Global Crisis
Nurses serving in the uniformed forces are often first responders to medical crises throughout the world. A recent outbreak in 2014 involved the Ebola virus. Nurses in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) were deployed to Africa to respond to this outbreak. This article describes the history and mission of the Public Health Service and the responsibilities and roles of USPHS nurses during deployments in response to a global crisis. The author also provides a personal reflection about her deployment to Liberia, Africa during the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak, including a brief overview about Ebola and description of the outbreak event.The Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health ServiceThey fight disease, conduct research, and care for patients in the most underserved and vulnerable populations domestically and abroad. Corps officers serve in 15 careers in a wide range of specialties within 22 federal agencies. The USPHS Commissioned Corps is an elite team of full time, welltrained, highly qualified public health professionals comprised of physicians, dentists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists, health services administrators, environmental health specialists, dietitians, engineers, veterinarians, and scientists. USPHS falls under the leadership of the Assistant Secretary of Health and the Surgeon General within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).Mission and Core ValuesThe mission of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our nation. As America's uniformed service of public health professionals, the Commissioned Corps achieves its mission through: rapid and effective response to public health needs; leadership and excellence in public health practices; and advancement of public health science. The core values of the Commissioned Corps are noted in Table 1.Table 1. Core Values of the USPHS Commissioned CoreHistoryFor more than 200 years, men and women have served on the front lines supporting our nation's public health in what is today called the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The Commissioned Corps traces its beginnings back to the U.S. Marine Hospital Service, protecting against the spread of disease from sailors returning from foreign ports and maintaining the health of immigrants entering the country. Today, Commissioned Corps officers are involved in health care delivery to underserved and vulnerable populations; disease control and prevention; biomedical research; food and drug regulation; mental health and drug abuse services; and response efforts for natural and man made disasters as an essential component of the largest public health program in the world.Figures i and 2 are challenge coins of the USPHS and the USPHS Nursing. A challenge coin is a time honored tradition (usually military) that builds camaraderie, enhances morale, and signifies service/duty to a particular campaign. It is carried by organization members and given in recognition of achievement.DeploymentsAs America's uniformed service of public health professionals, one of the many ways the USPHS Commissioned Corps achieves its mission is through rapid and effective responses to public health needs. To address urgent needs following acute public health emergency, the Office of the Surgeon General created the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment to activate, mobilize, and deploy qualified officers expeditiously to a disaster site.A Commissioned Corps deployment is defined as a directed, temporary assignment of officers from their assigned duties within HHS and non HHS organizations in response to a national public health emergency. Corps officers can also be deployed for a situation presenting a significant threat to the public health of a State, Tribe, or local community (Commissioned Corps, 2014).Responsibilities and Roles of Nurses during DeploymentsIn most cases USPHS nurses serve in a multifaceted capacity because of the austere situations, and environments.
Online journal of issues in nursing