Rapid Response Program Infrastructure Sustainability Project

AbstractMDPH will enhance its capacity for multi-jurisdictional all-hazards food and feed emergencyresponse through improvements to the Massachusetts Rapid Response Team (RRT) in theBureau of Environmental Health's Food Protection Program. While the RRT serves to rapidlyand effectively address food emergencies, such as foodborne illness outbreaks, its capabilities aresupported by a system of incident management, laboratory testing, epidemiologic investigations,traceback and recall operations, public and internal communications, data sharing, as well astrainings and other activities associated with a comprehensive response to emergencies. The MARRT program focuses on the team and also on the underlying support structure of the BEH/FPP,including its active involvement as members of the Working Group on Foodborne IllnessControl (WGFBIC), creating sustainable and integrated response capacity. Increasing adoptionof RRT Best Practices will serve as the basis for the program and is essential to ongoingenhancements and more mature development of the RRT. Beginning in Year 1 of the cooperativeagreement, BEH/FPP proposes to expand Environmental Assessment (EA) protocols to includeretail food establishments and in Year 2 will develop method to standardize EA trainings developunder this agreement. BEH/FPP seeks to improve the national infrastructure with continuingparticipation in the mentorship program. This proposal seeks to continue BEH/FPP's closeinteragency collaboration among state, federal, and local public health partners, industry andother stakeholders, as well as with agencies and organizations in food/feed manufacturing,distribution and protection in order to provide a technical and operational foundation for RRTdevelopment and maintenance. Information on foodborne illness outbreaks and relatedinspectional data will be available to MDPH and other partners, e.g. USFDA District Office,through a GIS system, which includes the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program(EPHT web portal) developed by MDPH/BEH. FDA will be able to access information oninspection and recalls through a secure connection to facilitate confidential communicationduring investigations. MDPH/BEH also proposes to post food recalls and other food-relatedinformation of interest, such as successful prevention efforts, on the publicly available pages ofthe portal and/or FoodSHIELD. Measures to meet goals and objectives will be carried out withinthe framework of the US FDA cooperative agreement. BEH/FPP anticipates that participation inthis cooperative agreement will serve to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the criticalfacets of its food protection efforts.