U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz meet with members of the Joint Coordination Cell for HHS COVID-19 Response Jan. 4, including Vice Adm. Dan Abel, Capt. Michael Barton, Cmdr. Brandon McGowan, Cmdr. Loraleigh Hild, Cmdr. Ian Bartonicek, Lt. Cmdr. Josiah Toepfer, Lt. Cmdr. Diana Gertsch, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin Oreizi. Photo by Public Health Service Lt. Cmdr. Fengyee Zhou. FOR THE HEALTH OF THE NATION: Coast Guard team integrates with HHS operations to fight COVID-19 by Capt. Mike Barton, Cmdr. Nan Silverman-Wise and Lt. Cmdr. Diana Gertsch In May 2020, as the nation grappled with the new normal of the coronavirus and adapted to social distancing and mask wearing, members of the Coast Guard answered the call to serve their country in a new way—through a partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS is the primary agency with the authority to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health and medical emergencies. It comprises a number of well-known subordinate agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH). From the many HHS agencies, eminent scholars, physicians, research scientists and public health experts brought their expertise to bear on the worst public health crisis to face our Nation in a century. They energized and harnessed the Nation’s foremost scientific and industrial capabilities to deliver safe and efficacious vaccines, medicines, testing, and other medical supplies to the market in record time to combat COVID-19. The federal response “flattened the curve” of challenges from the beginning of the pandemic, ultimately ramping up our Nation’s capacity to deliver front line medical workers, vaccines, medicines, and personal protective equipment over the course of the year. When COVID-19 was identified within the United States, control measures engaged by the CDC were unable to control the virus, which spread very quickly and grew out of control. Given the 28 RESERVIST � Issue 1 • 2021 immensity of the COVID-19 epidemic and the enormity of the nationwide impact, however, the federal response demand outstripped HHS’s response capabilities, and the White House made the decision to assign the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the lead federal agency for the COVID-19 response. In April 2020, amidst the burgeoning pandemic, the Secretary of HHS, Alex Azar III, requested support from Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf in the form of a senior leadership team experienced in operations and emergency management. Wolf contacted the Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz, who recommended Vice Adm. Dan Abel. As the recent Deputy Commandant for Operations, Abel had plans to retire after 37 years of service, but at Schultz’s request, he willingly stepped up to the plate. That May, Abel joined the federal COVID-19 response operation, housed at the FEMA — a massive joint operation including over 300 representatives from the White House Coronavirus Task Force; including the National Security Council, HHS, DHS, and DOD, as well as a numerous subordinate federal agencies, private sector companies, and academic institutions. Abel was greeted by his colleague and former deputy, Rear Adm. Merrie Austin who had been detailed as deputy assistant secretary to HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for
