Frequently Asked Questions

What is National Health Security?
National health security is a state in which the nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, and resilient in the face of health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences.

Key Points

The NHSS is a national strategy, not only a federal strategy. The focus is on the outcome, defining what health security is and what its components are.
The NHSS is a high-level strategy that will communicate a vision for achieving health security and articulate a set of goals and objectives. The accompanying implementation documents will focus on the various mechanisms that can be used to achieve the goals and objectives contained in the strategy.
The success of the NHSS will be demonstrated by measurable and sustained improvement in community resilience and effective and efficient health systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the NHSS?
A: The NHSS is the first comprehensive strategy focusing specifically on protecting people's health prior to, during, and after an incident. As mandated by Congress, the NHSS includes a strategy and implementation guide that defines and describes the vision for national health security and the strategic objectives and capabilities necessary to achieve that vision. Later, a biennial implementation plan, including an evaluation framework, will be completed.

Q: What is national health security?
A: National health security is a state in which the nation and its people are prepared for, protected from, and resilient in the face of health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences.

Q: What are the goals of the NHSS?
A: The two goals of the NHSS are to:

Build community resilience
Strengthen and sustain health and emergency response system

Q: What purpose will the NHSS serve?
A: The NHSS provides the framework for a broad range of stakeholders to build and sustain the capabilities that will enable the nation to achieve national health security. Every citizen should be able to use this document to guide everyday planning efforts. While certain passages are specific to agencies, communities, and disciplines, the philosophy applies to everyone.

Q: How will the NHSS impact other policies and programs?
A: The NHSS complements and supports other primary strategic documents, such as the National Security Strategy. Within the realm of national health security, it is the definitive statement of the ideals and philosophy that will influence related program directives, strategies, policies, programs, and plans. Having been developed in coordination with our Federal, State, and local partners across all sectors, it is intended to be relevant for and used by the entire nation.

Q: Why is the NHSS necessary?
A: The NHSS is required by Congress as part of the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act which states that, "...every 4 years the Secretary of HHS [shall] submit to Congress a comprehensive national health security strategy. Similar to the Quadrennial Defense Review conducted by the Department of Defense, this section requires the Secretary of HHS to evaluate future challenges to national public health security and outline a strategy and plan for public health and medical preparedness and response..."

Until now, there has not been one common vision to achieve national health security. The NHSS provides a unified and clear national approach to minimize the risks associated with the full range of potential health and other large-scale incidents with health consequences.

Q: Since there is no funding attached to the NHSS, how will it make a difference in national health security among communities and states?
A: Achieving national health security requires coordinated resource strategies. Investments of time, effort, and expertise—not just financial resources—are needed from and must be leveraged among individuals, families, and communities, including private sector, non-governmental, and academic organizations, and the full range of local, State, territorial, tribal, and Federal governments.

The NHSS provides a national framework to coordinate investments for national health security. Since such investments are beyond the scope of a single department, policy, or level of government, the NHSS and Interim Implementation Guide provide a strategy for coordinating resources across government, private, academic, and other sectors.

Q: Are there unfunded mandates?
A: The NHSS does not create mandates for localities or states.

Q: How do we know whether or not we are secure, have or have not made progress, and which gaps remain?
A: It is critical that the NHSS assess the progress we have made and the work that remains. The development of valid, reliable, and feasible performance measures will be addressed in the NHSS Interim Implementation Guide and an evaluation framework will be one component of an NHSS Biennial Implementation Plan in 2010.

Q: Are other federal departments and agencies involved in the NHSS?
A: HHS is leading a collaborative partnership with other federal departments and agencies to develop a national framework to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from incidents with health consequences. Our national health security requires collective efforts across governments, sectors, and communities.

Q: How will non-federal partners be engaged in the NHSS process?
A: HHS continues to engage non-federal partners extensively in the NHSS process. The Department has held regional workshops to solicit direct input form non-federal participants on the issues and themes the Strategy should address. The Institute of Medicine has held workshops to advise HHS on issues surrounding NHSS implementation. We are currently developing an approach for engaging non-federal partners to be included in the development of the Biennial NHSS Implementation Plan.

The Strategy is meant to highlight roles, gaps, and needs for stakeholders at all levels with goals that are achievable and realistic.