Pandemic Flu
So who's in charge? A recent Congressional hearing talked about the goal of having one federal agency assume the leadership on pandemic flu. So what happened? The Department of Health and Human Services said that HHS and OSHA should be in charge. The Department of Homeland Security said that the Office of Personnel Management should be in charge. The Government Accountability Office said that all agencies should be working on this and they should be in touch with each other. This after we just averted the first big threat of the H1N1, even though it has now been labeled a pandemic. This is just another sign that we have too many agencies wanting to take control of issues but never following through. And the private sector isn't much better. Nearly 8 years after 9/11 and we seem to have relegated emergency preparedness and response to the back room. We have missed the boat on developing a clear and concise plan for emergencies. Let's just hope it's not too late.