December 06, 2023

Wyden, Sullivan Applaud Senate Passage of Resolution Celebrating USPHS Commissioned Corps Officers

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, today applauded the passage of their resolution commending the officers of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) for 225 years of work protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the United States.

"For 225 years, officers of the USPHS Commissioned Corps have honorably served and safeguarded our nation's public health— particularly during times of public health emergencies," Wyden said. "Through their commendable efforts in disease prevention, biomedical research, healthcare and various other initiatives, USPHS officers have played a pivotal role in maintaining the health of our country. I’m especially grateful for their dedication to serving underserved and vulnerable populations. I’m glad the Senate has passed our resolution recognizing the invaluable contributions of USPHS officers and I’ll continue fighting to ensure they have the resources they need to continue their work for generations to come."

“The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps play a critical role in providing health services to Alaska’s most rural communities,” Sullivan said. “Alaska’s vast, rugged geography and remote communities can make it difficult to access health care, and the Commission Corps have stepped up to the plate. Many of the Commissioned Corps in Alaska serve as our dentists, our nurses, and researchers in our cities and our rural communities. We applaud their commitment to ensuring underserved communities can access health services.”

The USPHS Commissioned Corps is one of the nation’s uniformed services — a branch committed to the service of health. For 225 years, USPHS Commissioned Corps Officers have advanced our nation’s public health, serving in agencies across the government, as physicians, nurses, dentists, veterinarians, scientists, engineers and other professionals. USPHS is the only uniformed service in the world solely dedicated to public health.

Jacqueline Rychnovsky, Executive Director, The Commissioned Officers Association of the USPHS: “The U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) has stood the test of time by responding to the largest public health crises in history. COA congratulates the USPHS on this milestone and looks forward to the impact the USPHS will have in the future. COA thanks Senator Wyden for amplifying the service and sacrifice of the USPHS and its Commissioned Corps, which often does not receive the recognition it deserves."

The text of the resolution is here.

In July, Wyden introduced legislation that would authorize dedicated annual funding to the USPHS Commissioned Corps. The USPHS is the only uniformed service without a budget line item dedicated to service operations and maintenance. Establishing a budget line item for service operations and readiness is vital to ensure a fully-deployable national public health asset.

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