ASPR's Response to Hurricane Helene

The Secretary declared public health emergencies in 5 states: South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. These declarations gave the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

ASPR Deployed Responders, Medical Supplies and Equipment

ASPR deployed hundreds of medical, public health, and disaster response personnel as well as more than 405 tons of medical supplies and equipment to support North Carolina communities as part of the government-wide response to Hurricane Helene. During their deployment, ASPR's responders from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) cared for approximately 1,000 patients over the course of 30 days.

• In Buncombe County, NDMS responders provided 24-hour surge support in medical tents for the influx of patients arriving to the Emergency Department at Mission Hospital in Asheville.

• In Catawba County, an NDMS Health and Medical Task Force (HMTF) provided care at a state medical support shelter in Hickory.

• In Mitchell County, NDMS responders provided 24-hour surge support in medica tents outside the Emergency Department at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine.

• In Polk County, a HMTF provided a second state medical shelter in Mill Springs.

• Two experts from NDMS' Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team provided fatality management support.

• ASPR supported oxygen filling capabilities at four state-run refill stations

Emergency Prescription Assistance Program

Uninsured residents in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina living in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene could replace their 30-day supply of certain prescription medications, durable medical equipment, and medical supplies from any pharmacy that participates in the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program while the program was activated in those states.

Increasing Access to Health Care with Increased Flexibility and Data

In addition, HHS emPOWER program helped identify Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.

HHS 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 bulletins explaining how limited waivers apply and the duration.

Supporting Behavioral Health

The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) continues to offer free crisis counseling through the Disaster Distress Helpline. 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.