ACE External Technical Agreement

Attachment 4c. ACE External Technical Agreement

Assessment of Chemical Exposure (AID) Ep- Aid Technical Agreement

An ACE Epi-Aid is an investigation of an urgent environmental public health problem, generally manmade disasters. When a public health authority requests assistance from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) or U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an Epi-Aid allows rapid, short-term (1–3 weeks), generally onsite, technical assistance by Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers and other ATSDR/CDC subject matter experts. The focus of an Epi-Aid investigation is to assist partners in making rapid, practical decisions for actions to prevent and control the public health problem.

Who participates?

An ACE Epi-Aid team includes at least one EIS officer and other ATSDR/CDC subject matter experts. This team joins local staff in the community where assistance is requested. The requesting public health authority provides overall leadership for the investigation, while the Epi-Aid team provides technical assistance.

Who can request an Epi-Aid?

Various officials with authority for public health can request an Epi-Aid, including state and territorial public health authorities. Local public health authorities, in coordination with the state authorities, elected tribal leaders of federally recognized tribes, federal agency officials, American military base commanding generals and CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program officials in coordination with the state authorities may also request an ACE Epi-Aid.

How do Epi-Aids benefit public health?

An Epi-Aid benefits public health in several ways. Epi-Aids can:

• Increase the technical capacity and workforce available for rapid response

• Streamline access to CDC subject matter experts and laboratory resources

• Build epidemiologic capacity through collaboration

• Enhance public health relationships

• Contribute to practical understanding about the problem being addressed

What is the role of the requesting public health authority?

The public health authority provides overall leadership of the Epi-Aid investigation while benefitting from a collaborative relationship with the Epi-Aid team. The public health authority retains custody and control over all data collected as part of the investigation.

What is the role of the Epi-Aid Team?

The Epi -Aid team will maintain security of the data during collection until the end of the investigation and then they will return all of the data to the requesting agency and remove it from their devices. After the Epi-Aid is completed, the public health authority may request ATSDR/CDC’s continued collaboration and assistance in data analysis, report writing, presentation preparation, and additional programmatic technical assistance. If additional assistance is requested a data sharing agreement must also be signed so that the Epi-Aid team may obtain a copy of the data.

How can I get more information on Epi Aids?

• At any time: E-mail EpiAid@cdc.gov

• During business hours (8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET): Call the EIS office at + 1 (404) 498-6110

• After business hours: Call CDC’s Emergency Operations Center at + 1 (770) 488-7100

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This serves as an acknowledgement between the requesting agency and the ATSDR program of the expectations of the ACE Epi-Aids process before initiation.

Signature ACE Program Representative		Signature Requesting Agency Representative
Printed Name of ACE Program Representative		Printed Name of Requesting Agency Representative
Title of ACE Program Representative		Title of Requesting Agency Representative