Washington, D.C…The March 11th Japan earthquake riveted the world’s attention on the devastation that can occur in the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters. President Obama underscored this point with his March 30th Presidential Policy Directive on National Preparedness (PPD-8), which called for increased public-private partnerships to bolster America’s disaster resiliency. PPD-8 directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop a national preparedness system over the next year through cooperation between federal and state government, nonprofits and the private sector. Rx Response Director Erin Mullen hailed PPD-8 and called Rx Response a "perfect example of the kind of public-private partnership the President is embracing."

Rx Response has been at the forefront of public/private preparedness efforts through initiatives such as its web-based informational sharing tools that it deploys for incident communications to the biopharmaceutical industry, nonprofits and government officials. The program has also championed the need for enhanced emergency response flexibility with the understanding that one-size-fits-all solutions are not always the most effective, a key assessment in PPD-8.

“The President’s call for a more streamlined approach to disaster management in PPD-8 will help programs like Rx Response better interact with federal and state officials, “ said Rx Response’s Director, Erin Mullen, RPh, PhD, CEM . ”This stepped up pre-disaster planning will only enhance Rx Response’s ability to facilitate communications during emergencies.”

As the Department of Homeland Security solicits feedback from the emergency management community on PPD-8 over the next 180 days, Rx Response will seek feedback from its member organizations on the initiative to share with the Department of Homeland Security.