Eric D. Hargan, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and Gov. Pete Ricketts were joined by Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center/University of Nebraska at Omaha chancellor for a tour of the Davis Global Center Saturday morning to learn more about UNMC/Nebraska Medicine pandemic and health security efforts. UNMC and Nebraska Medicine are recognized as national leaders in pandemic planning and response.
The U.S. HHS Training Simulation & Quarantine Center, located in the UNMC Davis Global Center, is the only federally designated quarantine unit in the U.S. The 20-bed unit was used earlier this year to house and monitor some of the first Americans to be treated in the U.S. for the novel coronavirus. UNMC and Nebraska Medicine also were one of a few locations that treated Americans during the Ebola outbreak in Africa in 2014.
Eric D. Hargan is the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS is dedicated to promoting and enhancing the health and well-being of the American people, and as the largest department in the federal government has an annual budget in excess of $1.3 trillion and over 80,000 employees across 26 divisions. As Deputy Secretary, he is the Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and management of the department in addition to leading policy and strategy development.