Monday, November 25, 2024
11/25/2024
Project Summary/Abstract The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) proposes to continue its mentorship with other states' Rapid Response Teams; coordinate outbreak response with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) and local health departments that have jurisdiction over retail sales of food; establish communication protocols with food industries in Texas; further develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and embed Texas Rapid Response team (TRRT) responsibilities into the day to day activities of the state staff. Additionally, DSHS will undertake a capability assessment each year and develop and update an improvement plan for the TRRT; schedule and conduct at least one exercise or respond to an incident, including after action reviews each year, and; represent the TRRT on national RRT workgroups and at local and national meetings. DSHS will continue to refine and enhance the development of the Texas Rapid Response Team so that in the event of a food borne illness outbreak, the TRRT will be able to respond quickly and effectively. Over the next 5-year grant period DSHS Manufactured Foods Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS) proposes to continue work to maintain the standards. In addition, the program will work on standards enhancement projects outlined in the strategic plan (Appendix B). The program will participate in the MFRPA Annual meeting and look for opportunities to participate on national workgroups related to the standards. DSHS will continue outreach to include specialized training for local health department epidemiologists in case interviews and developing a protocol for working with local health departments during food borne illness investigations (Standard 5), on-demand webinars for industry in areas of GMPs, preventive controls, and common violations (Standard 7), and providing Preventive Control Alliance training for regulatory and industry partners (Standard 2 and 7). The Texas Food Safety and Defense Task Force provides a forum to discuss food safety and security issues along the farm to fork continuum with a primary focus on Texas. The purpose of the Task Force is to maintain an open dialogue with all partners in food safety and defense in order to promote an efficient food safety system in Texas that maximizes the protection of public health. The Task Force is comprised of academia, industry associations, consumer associations and regulatory agencies at the local, state, and federal levels. The taskforce will hold annual meetings.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
