HHS Secretary Azar Declares Public Health Emergency in Oregon due to Wildfires; Deploys National Disaster Medical System

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in Oregon due to wildfires, following President Trump’s major disaster declaration for the state. The public health emergency declaration and related waiver give the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services beneficiaries and their healthcare providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs created by the wildfires.To further support response efforts, HHS deployed an Incident Management Team and staff from the National Disaster Medical System.