BioWatch case for change of traditional leadership to improve performance

Abstract

An air monitoring system, Program BioWatch, was introduced in the civilian United States (U.S.) in 2003 to detect an intentional release of a biological agent in a major metropolitan area. As an ambient air program, BioWatch was assigned to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to administer at the local level though the state equivalent of the U.S. EPA. Since the BioWatch Program is testing for biological agents that can cause illness and death in the human population, there is an obvious roll for public health involvement in the program. However, over time, the EPA leadership has struggled with the administration of the program, as well as the state EPA programs and efforts with the local public health agencies. This thesis explores the current assigned leadership of the BioWatch Program primarily at the state and local levels. By using the experiences of the Missouri BioWatch Program in St. Louis, a shared leadership is suggested between the state health department and the state EPA to maximize efforts and related to the BioWatch Program by use of a memorandum of agreement.