The purpose of this Expert Committee is to continue the work initiated by the "Operational Health Management and Resources" Advisory Committee of the Agency for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (Eprus), whose members met on the following dates: in 2013 (October 9), in 2014 (May 21 and November 25), in 2015 (June 30, September 30, and December 15), and in 2016 (April 12).

As part of its work, which began in 2013, this commission issued several technical opinions¹ and recommendations regarding the resources that healthcare facilities must have in place to respond early to a public health emergency: an opinion on personal protective equipment (PPE) for CBRN protection (May 2014), an opinion on appropriate PPE in the event of potential exposure to Ebola virus disease (September 2014), procedures for donning and doffing PPE in pairs using the recommended equipment (November 2014), guidance on updating mobile medical stations in 2015 to account for new public health emergencies such as mass assaults…

¹ Advice and recommendations available at http://www.eprus.fr/rubrique/conduite-et-moyens-sanitaires-operationnels.html#overlay-context=rubrique/conduite-et-moyens-sanitaires-operationnels.html

The missions of Santé publique France – The National Public Health Agency

The National Public Health Agency, established by Order No. 2016-462 of April 14, 2016, is a public administrative institution of the State, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.

Its missions are:

• epidemiological observation and monitoring of the health status of the population;

• monitoring health risks threatening the population;

• health promotion and the reduction of health risks;

• developing prevention and health education;

• preparing for and responding to health threats, alerts, and crises;

• issuing public health alerts.

Within its scope of competence and to carry out its missions, the agency applies expertise consistent with the principles set forth in Article L. 1452-1. Its opinions and recommendations are issued in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 1452-2. Subject to respect for privacy and secrets protected by law, in particular the rules relating to the protection of national defense secrets, its opinions and recommendations are made public.

Duties of the Expert Committee

The Committee of Experts shall be tasked with issuing opinions and formulating technical and operational recommendations on intervention guidelines and the necessary resources to prepare the healthcare system for SSE.

In particular, it may:

• issue proposals regarding the material resources that could be made available to healthcare professionals to address public health emergencies;

• propose guidelines for the use of this equipment and assess the training needs of healthcare professionals;

• propose operational procedures for healthcare professionals’ response to SSE, particularly regarding victim care;

• assess the resources and response methods of healthcare professionals established to address mass casualty incidents;

• contribute to the collection and dissemination of best practices and information derived from research and development in the field of response measures for SSE (information sharing with the Armed Forces Health Service is essential in this context).

The scope of the Expert Committee therefore covers the following equipment:

• mobile medical stations (MMS) (Level 1 MMS capable of treating 25 victims and Level 2 MMS capable of treating 500 victims);

• personal protective equipment;

• detection, protection, and decontamination equipment;

• telecommunications equipment;

• in general, any item likely to serve as an effective countermeasure in emergency medical services,

enabling an early response to rapidly reinforce pre-hospital response capabilities to address a Nuclear, Radiological, Biological, Chemical, and Explosive (CBRN-E) incident or any exceptional event where the number of victims is high enough to require reinforcement of the usual resources of the SAMU or SMUR (railway accident, AZF-type accident, etc.).

These medical, pharmaceutical, and logistical kits are designed to manage a surge of casualties and are standardized in their composition according to guidelines (product, quantity, location/container, etc.) to ensure interoperability among healthcare facilities. Updating them effectively modifies the corresponding reference document (example of a reference document: http://www.eprus.fr/article/les-postes-sanitaires-mobiles-psm.html)

Several initiatives must be launched as early as the first half of 2017:

• a study on the technical specifications for the replacement of the fleet of mobile ventilators dedicated to the care of patients with severe respiratory failure;

• proposal of technical specifications and an operational guideline for the use of evacuation hoods;

• procedures for managing electrical equipment (syringe pumps, mucus suction devices, etc.);

• study on the distribution of transport ventilators…

Composition of the expert committee

This committee will consist of approximately ten members appointed by the Director General of Santé publique France.

Committee members serve in their personal capacity and therefore cannot be replaced. This is a matter of personal expertise and not institutional representation.

The Expert Committee will include at least one physician, one pharmacist, and one healthcare executive from designated healthcare facilities.

Workload of the committee

The committee is expected to meet at least twice a year for one day, with an estimated workload for members of approximately five days per year.

The committee may be called upon to respond to urgent matters in accordance with procedures defined in the internal regulations.

Required Qualifications

To meet the established objectives, the Expert Committee must be composed of healthcare professionals from various disciplines (physicians, pharmacists, healthcare managers, specialized nurses, hospital logisticians, etc.) recognized for their expertise and experience in emergency management (disaster medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, infectious diseases, pharmacists, public health specialists, etc.) from both civilian and non-civilian sectors (link to SSA, SDIS, etc.). It must also include public health professionals specializing in healthcare administration and planning (particularly emergency care) working at the regional level (ARS) or in defense zones (ARS defense zone).

General Skills

• interest and experience in the field of public health emergencies within the framework of SSE, including research, development, and evaluation;

• Very good knowledge of preparedness and response mechanisms, particularly regarding the organization and resources to be deployed by healthcare facilities to address a public health emergency;

• knowledge of generic planning documents (zonal mobilization plan, ORSAN system);

• Ability to work collaboratively and in a multidisciplinary manner, including under constrained conditions (tight deadlines, significant uncertainties).

Specific Skills

• various medical specialties such as emergency medicine, disaster medicine, emergency surgery, anesthesiology and critical care, pediatrics;

• infectious diseases (particularly emerging and tropical diseases);

• hospital hygiene;

• clinical/hospital pharmacy;

• medical biology;

• CBRN expertise;

• expertise in crisis management and occupational health and safety;

• expertise in epidemiology, prevention, and communication.

Functioning of the Expert Committee

Committee members are appointed for a term of 3 years.

The chair of the committee is appointed from among its members by the Director General of Santé publique France.

Members sign a "Confidentiality and Commitment Agreement" to participate regularly in meetings.

The Director General of Santé publique France provides the necessary resources for its operation.

The secretariat of this Expert Committee is provided by the Alert and Crisis Directorate (DAC) of Santé publique France.

Compensation and Travel Expenses

Travel and accommodation expenses are reimbursed under the conditions applicable to civilian government employees.

Compensation for loss of income in the case of private practice and compensation for time spent participating in meetings and for work performed will be based on the scale established by the Board of Directors of Santé publique France.

Application Procedures

The deadline, initially set for January 31, has been extended to February 10, 2017

The application must be sent to the following address: "candidatures_moyenssanitairesterritoriaux@santepubliquefrance.fr".

The application package must include:

• a cover letter stating your professional and/or personal contact information

• a resume

• a public declaration of interest to be completed via the application available at http://dpi.santepubliquefrance.fr

Selection Process

Only complete applications will be considered.

The selection of candidates for the "Regional Health Resources in Exceptional Health Situations (SSE)" Expert Committee by a selection panel will be based on the information provided in the cover letter, the candidates’ alignment with the required skills, an analysis of conflicts of interest, and the necessary multidisciplinary and diverse composition of the committee. Candidates will be notified of the outcome of the review of their application via email from the committee secretariat.

Committee members will be appointed by decision of the Director General of Santé publique France; the committee’s composition will be published on the agency’s website.

Members of the Scientific Council, the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, and the Steering and Dialogue Committee of Santé publique France are not eligible to apply.