HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Declares Public Health Emergencies For States Impacted By Tropical Storm Debby

Federal health care personnel, resources at-the-ready to support affected states 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has declared Public Health Emergencies (PHEs) for the states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to address the health impacts of Hurricane Debby, now Tropical Storm Debby. The declarations follow President Biden’s emergency declarations for Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and give the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), health care providers, and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. 

“HHS stands ready to assist residents across the Southeast impacted by Tropical Storm Debby,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “With today’s declarations and waivers, HHS is helping ensure that residents in the Southeast have continuous access to the care they need during and after this storm.”

To further assist South Carolina hospitals and other health care facilities in addressing the potential health impacts of the storm, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has approximately 50 medical providers and disaster management professionals from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) staged in the state for rapid response in affected areas.

These personnel include regional emergency coordinators who integrate with state health authorities and emergency response officials and with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to anticipate and help the state meet public health and medical needs in the wake of the storm. The deployed personnel also include medical providers and logistics experts who are equipped with medical supplies and equipment.

NDMS personnel come from around the country to provide rapid assistance with health care facility assessments, care for patients in local communities when health care facilities are overwhelmed, evacuate patients to non-affected areas, and provide other support as requested. In coordinating the federal public health and medical response, ASPR is prepared to deploy additional personnel from NDMS and officers from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps if needed.

“The dangerous storm surge, strong winds, and rain that Tropical Storm Debby is bringing to the southeast U.S. can have serious impacts on health care delivery,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell. “ASPR’s highly trained personnel are prepared to help ease the burden on local health systems during this difficult time.”

HHS also has made information available from the HHS emPOWER program, a partnership between ASPR and CMS, to support public health emergency planning and response activities. The program provides valuable information on the number of Medicare beneficiaries who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain health care services, such as dialysis, oxygen tanks, or home health care, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk residents in areas that impacted by the storm. 

The Disaster Distress Helpline is available to provide disaster crisis counseling. Managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. To connect with a trained counselor, call or text 1-800-985-5990. Spanish speakers can press “2” for bilingual support. Callers also can connect with counselors in more than 100 other languages via third-party interpretation services by indicating their preferred language to the responding counselor.

To support state and local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing public health information in English and Spanish on topics such as flooding, mold, and worker safety. 

HHS has also waived sanctions and penalties for violations of certain provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule against hospitals in the emergency areas. The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a bulletin explaining how this limited waiver applies and its duration.

In declaring the public health emergency and authorizing flexibilities for CMS providers, suppliers, and beneficiaries, Secretary Becerra acted within his authority under the Public Health Service Act and Social Security Act. These actions and flexibilities are retroactive to August 1, 2024, for Florida and August 4, 2024, for Georgia and South Carolina.