Strategic National Stockpile

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is a national repository of antibiotics, chemical antidotes, antitoxins, life-support medications, IV administration, airway maintenance supplies, and medical/surgical items. The SNS is designed to supplement and re-supply state and local public health agencies in the event of a national emergency anywhere and at anytime within the U.S. or its territories.

The SNS is organized for flexible response. To receive SNS assets, the affected state’s governor’s office will directly request the deployment of the SNS from CDC or HHS. HHS, CDC, and other federal officials will evaluate the situation and determine a prompt course of action. The first line of support lies within the immediate response 12-hour Push Packages. These are caches of pharmaceuticals, antidotes, and medical supplies designed to provide rapid delivery of a broad spectrum of assets for an ill defined threat in the early hours of an event. These Push Packages are positioned in strategically located, secure warehouses ready for immediate deployment to a designated site within 12 hours of the federal decision to deploy SNS assets. The Push Packages are constructed so that they can be loaded onto trucks or cargo aircraft without being repackaged.

In addition to the Push Packages, the SNS Program will deploy its Technical Advisory Response Unit (TARU). The TARU staff coordinates efficient delivery and distribution of the materiel with state and local officials. HHS will transfer authority for the SNS materiel to the state and local authorities once it arrives at the designated receiving and storage site. State and local authorities will then initiate the distribution process.

If the incident requires additional pharmaceuticals and/or medical supplies, follow-on (vendor) managed inventory (MI) supplies will be shipped to arrive within 24 to 36 hours. If the agent is well defined, MI can be tailored to provide pharmaceuticals, supplies and/or products specific to the suspected or confirmed agent(s). In this case, the MI could act as the first option for immediate response from the SNS Program.