[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 161 (Monday, August 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48547-48548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7033]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP); Office of 
Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (OPHEMC)

AGENCY: Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP)/Office 
of Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (OPHEMC), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to 
announce the BioShield Stakeholders Workshop. The BioShield 
Stakeholders Workshop is being convened to provide individual 
stakeholders with an opportunity to gain insight into the current 
BioShield interagency governance process and to provide input into the 
draft HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures (PHEMC) 
Strategy for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) 
Threats.

DATES: The Workshop will be held on September 25-26, 2006. Pre-
registration is available via the Web site shown below. On-site 
registration will also be possible, space permitting. On-site 
registration, if offered, will begin at 8 a.m. on September 25. The 
meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will end at approximately 6 p.m. on 
both days.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, 
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. The Crystal Gateway 
Marriott is located directly above the Crystal City Metro Station on 
the yellow and blue Metro lines.
    Register: Please visit http://www.hhs.gov/ophep/ophemc/ to register 
online. The deadline for online registration is Monday, September 18, 
2006. On-site registration will also be available at the meeting, space 
permitting. Seating is limited, so register today!

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Health and Human Services 
is pleased to announce the upcoming HHS BioShield Stakeholders 
Workshop. The goals of the HHS BioShield Stakeholders Workshop are:
    1. To provide its attendees with insight into the current BioShield 
interagency governance process; and
    2. To provide individual stakeholders with an opportunity to help 
guide the future implementation of Project BioShield by providing input 
into the draft HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures 
(PHEMC) Strategy for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear 
(CBRN) Threats.
    The draft PHEMC Strategy for CBRN Threats is being developed under 
the leadership of the Office of Public Health Emergency Medical 
Countermeasures (OPHEMC) within the Office of Public Health Emergency 
Preparedness (OPHEP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and 
will be published in the Federal Register prior

[[Page 48548]]

to this workshop. This Strategy will define the principles guiding HHS 
medical countermeasure research, development and acquisition.
    The BioShield Stakeholders Workshop will be an open meeting for 
representatives from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, 
professional societies, State and local public health organizations, 
the academic research and development community, public interest 
groups, stakeholder Federal agencies, and Congress.
    The BioShield Stakeholders Workshop is being convened, and the 
PHEMC Strategy for CBRN Threats is being developed and published, to 
fulfill the promise that Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. 
Leavitt made on March 16, 2006, in his testimony before the Senate 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. During his 
testimony, Secretary Leavitt pledged to:

work closely with other departments and agencies to streamline and 
make more effective the current BioShield interagency governance 
process. We will make this process more transparent and work to 
educate the public and industry about our priorities and 
opportunities. As part of this, HHS will convene an outreach meeting 
with these external stakeholders later this year.

    OPHEP leads Federal efforts to prepare the nation to prevent and 
mitigate the health effects of disasters, natural or manmade. As part 
of this important mission, OPHEMC, within OPHEP, plays a leadership 
role in the advanced development and acquisition of medical 
countermeasures, including implementation of the Project BioShield Act 
of 2004.
    The purpose of Project BioShield is to accelerate the research, 
development, acquisition, and availability of effective medical 
countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear 
(CBRN) threats. The Special Reserve Fund (SRF), a discretionary reserve 
of $5.6 billion for the advanced development and purchase of priority 
medical countermeasures over 10 years, was authorized under Project 
BioShield to support this mission.
    For more information regarding the BioShield Stakeholders Workshop, 
and to register for the Workshop, please visit http://www.hhs.gov/ophep/ophemc/.

    Dated: August 15, 2006.
Carol Linden,
Deputy Director, OPHEMC.
[FR Doc. 06-7033 Filed 8-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-M