USPHS Corps Care : Force Health Protection for Public Health Officers During the Ebola and COVID-19 Responses.

Force health protection (FHP) is defined as "the prevention of disease and injury in order to protect the strength and capabilities" of any service population. FHP was the foundational principal of the US Public Health Service (USPHS). President John Adams' signing of An Act for Sick and Disabled Seamen on July 16, 1798, marked the first dedication of US federal resources to ensuring the well-being of US civilian sailors and Naval service members. On January 4, 1889, President Cleveland enacted the USPHS Commissioned Corps, creating the world's first (and still only) uniformed service dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing the health and safety of the United States and the world. Building on the lessons of the 2014-2015 response to the Ebola virus pandemic, the Corps Care program was formalized in 2017 to establish and implement a uniform and comprehensive strategy to meet the behavioral health, medical, and spiritual needs of all Commissioned Corps officers. Its role was expanded in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has placed unprecedented demands on health care workers and spotlighted the need for FHP strategies. We describe the FHP roles of the Corps Care program for the resiliency of Commission Corps officers in general and the Corps' impact during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative analysis of FHP discussions with deployed officers highlights the unique challenges to FHP presented by the pandemic response.

The role of Force Health Protection in the Canadian Armed Forces' response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), public health is managed by the Directorate of Force Health Protection (DFHP), a branch of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group. Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-19), DFHP has become heavily involved in health surveillance, outbreak monitoring, policy development, providing evidence-based guidance and advice, liaising with other national, provincial and territorial, municipal and international public health agencies, and ensuring environmental safety of CAF members. Some specific activities include supporting operations and deployments, amending policies and training and promoting hand hygiene, physical distancing and personal protective equipment use. In addition to taking measures to protect its members, CAF-Department of National Defence has contributed to Canada's national response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The DFHP will be developing training for allied health professionals to assist with contact tracing and follow-up, and will ensure adequate resources are in place to manage surge capacity for COVID-19. With these ongoing efforts, initiatives and lessons learned, DFHP is well placed to carry on with its mandate to protect and promote the health and well-being of CAF members and National Defence civilian employees, assisting Canadians and ensuring that CAF members are ready to serve their missions at home and abroad.