Special to the
Opelika Observer
Lee County Coroner Bill Harris represented Alabama coroners at the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Stakeholder Engagement event in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 19 and 20. Participants discussed issues related to Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF 8) of the National Response Network as they relate to capability gaps between core functions to include patient care, patient movement, medical surge and mass fatality management in relationship to the Department of Defense’s framework. Discussion regarding the needs of the Coroner/ME community during hurricane response and concerns regarding coronavirus response were addressed and reviewed in order to identify gaps in operation, training, funding, logistics and more. Coroner representatives from Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina participated along with 50 other subject matter experts regarding these public health and emergency management situations.