CMM develops medical policies and procedures that facilitate MHS support to civilian authorities during naturally occurring or man-made disasters. We coordinate (DOD) support to the National Disaster Medical System and includes pandemic influenza/infectious disease preparedness.

National Disaster Medical System

The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) combines Federal and non-Federal medical resources into a unified response to meet natural and man-made disaster needs, as well as support patient treatment requirements from military contingencies.

The NDMS is an interagency partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security, DOD and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. It’s based on the 2005 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between these agencies.

Components of the NDMS:

• Medical Response—Includes personnel, teams and individuals, supplies, and equipment. The NDMS Response Teams can include:
  • Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT)
  • Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT)
  • National Veterinary Response Team (NVRT)
• Patient Movement
• Definitive Medical Care

National Response Framework

The National Response Framework (NRF) utilizes the NDMS, under Emergency Support Function #8 (ESF #8), Health and Medical Services, to support Federal agencies in the management and coordination of the Federal medical response to major emergencies and federally declared disasters such as natural disasters, major transportation accidents, technological disasters, and acts of terrorism including weapons of mass destruction events.