View source for United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

{{Short description|Federal uniformed service}}
{{About|the uniformed service|the HRSA program|National Health Service Corps}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = United States Public Health Service<br />Commissioned Corps
| image = Seal of the USPHS Commissioned Corps.png
| image_size = 170
| caption = Seal of the USPHS Commissioned Corps
| start_date = {{Start date|1798|07|16|df=yes}} ({{Age in years, months and days|1798|07|16}})<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usphs.gov/history |title=PHS Commissioned Corps History |website=Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=2024-07-04 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="nps">{{Cite web |language=en-US |url=https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/upload/35336fa-Public-Health-Service-Hospital-Recs-2.pdf |title=U.S. Public Health Service Hospital (Marine Hospital) Archives, 1874–1996 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=2024-07-04 |date=n.d.}}</ref>
| dates = 
| country = United States
| type = [[Uniformed services of the United States|Uniformed service]]
| role = Medical services
| size = 8,000 active duty officers<ref name="force size">{{Cite web |title=Commissioned Corps Management Information Site |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/CCD122_02Faq.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=dcp.psc.gov}}</ref><ref name="CCD122.02">{{Cite web |title=CCD 122.02 (6-2): Force Management of Grade Distribution |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/ccis/documents/CCD122_02.pdf |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=dcp.psc.gov}}</ref><br/>3,000 ready reserve officers<ref name="force size"/><ref name="CCD122.02"/><br/>11,000 total officers (effective 1 October 2023)
| command_structure = {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States Public Health Service.svg|size=23px}} [[United States Public Health Service|U.S. Public Health Service]]
| garrison = Division of Commissioned Corps Personnel and Readiness, [[National Institutes of Health campus|NIH Main campus]], [[North Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S. (1101 Wootton Parkway Plaza, [[Rockville, Maryland|Rockville]] - mailing address)
| garrison_label = Headquarters
| nickname = 
| patron = 
| motto = "Protecting, promoting and advancing the health and safety of the Nation!" and "In officio salutis"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://epubs.democratprinting.com/article/Consultant%E2%80%99s+Report+PHSCoast+Guard/3559637/641790/article.html |title=Consultant's Report PHS/Coast Guard |website=epubs.democratprinting.com |access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> (core values: Leadership, Service, Integrity, and Excellence)
| colors = Blue and [[Gold (color)#Golden yellow|Yellow-Gold]] {{color box|#0000FF}} {{color box|#FFDF00}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/ccis/documents/CCPM29_9_1.pdf |title=Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual 29.9.1 |website=dcp.psc.gov |access-date=8 April 2019 |archive-date=12 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412132443/https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/ccis/documents/CCPM29_9_1.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/training/TRAINING_Ribbon_m.aspx |title=U.S. PHS Commissioned Officer Training Academy |website=dcp.psc.gov |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/us_phs.html |title=Public Health Service (U.S.) |website=fotw.info |access-date=8 April 2019}}</ref>
| colors_label = Colors
| march = "Public Health Service March"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/OSG/ensemble/listen-march-lyrics.aspx |title=Public Health Service March |author=<!-- not stated --> |website=dcp.psc.gov |publisher=Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service Ensemble |date=2015-10-20 |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226152023/https://dcp.psc.gov/OSG/ensemble/listen-march-lyrics.aspx |archive-date=2018-02-26 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {{audio|"Public Health Service March", performed by the United States Coast Guard Band.oga|Play}}
| mascot = 
| equipment = 
| equipment_label = 
| battles = [[Spanish–American War]]<ref name="History">{{cite web |url=http://www.coausphs.org/phhistory.cfm |title=Home – Commissioned Officers Association |website=www.coausphs.org |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128061307/http://www.coausphs.org/phhistory.cfm |archive-date=28 November 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref><br />[[World War I]]<ref name="History"/><br />[[World War II]]<ref name="History"/><br />[[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]]<br />[[Iraq War]]
| anniversaries = Centennial, 1989
| decorations = [[File:USPH Presidential Unit Citation.svg|23px|border]] [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] (2015 & 2021)
| battle_honours = 
| website = {{url|https://www.usphs.gov/|usphs.gov}}
<!-- Commanders -->| commander1 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the President of the United States.svg|size=25px}} [[President of the United States|Donald J. Trump]]
| commander1_label = [[Commander-in-Chief]]
| commander2 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.svg|size=25px}} [[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.]]
| commander2_label = [[Secretary of Health and Human Services]]
| commander3 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary for Health.svg|size=25px}} ADM Brian Christine
| commander3_label = [[Assistant Secretary for Health]]
| commander4 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg|size=25px}} Vacant
| commander4_label = [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]]
| commander5 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of the United States Deputy Surgeon General.svg|size=25px}} Vacant
| commander5_label = Deputy Surgeon General
| commander6 = {{Flagicon image|Flag of a 1-Star Assistant Surgeon General.svg|size=25px}} [[Rear admiral (United States)#Rear admiral (lower half)|RDML]] [[Rick Schobitz]]
| commander6_label = Director
| notable_commanders = <!-- Insignia -->
| identification_symbol = 
| identification_symbol_label = 
| identification_symbol_2 = 
| identification_symbol_3 = 
| identification_symbol_4 = 
| identification_symbol_2_label = 
| identification_symbol_3_label = 
| identification_symbol_4_label = <!-- Aircraft -->
| aircraft_attack = 
| aircraft_bomber = 
| aircraft_electronic = 
| aircraft_fighter = 
| aircraft_helicopter = 
| aircraft_interceptor = 
| aircraft_patrol = 
| aircraft_recon = 
| aircraft_trainer = 
| aircraft_transport = 
}}

The '''United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps''' ('''USPHSCC'''; also referred to as the '''Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service''')<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps |url=https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/corps/index.html |access-date=2 November 2017 |website=Surgeongeneral.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/ |title=USPHS: About Us |website=www.usphs.gov |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710230635/http://www.usphs.gov/aboutus/ |archive-date=10 July 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> is the [[Uniformed services|uniformed service]] branch of the [[United States Public Health Service]] and one of the eight [[uniformed services of the United States]] (along with the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]], [[United States Space Force|Space Force]], and [[NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps]]). The commissioned corps' primary mission is the protection, promotion, and advancement of health and safety of the general public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Office of the Surgeon General |date=18 March 2019 |title=U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps |url=https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/corps/index.html |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=www.hhs.gov |language=en}}</ref>

Along with the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is one of two uniformed services that consist only of [[commissioned officers]] and has no [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] or [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officer]] ranks, although warrant officers have been authorized for use within the service.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/204 |title=42 U.S. Code § 204 – Commissioned Corps and Ready Reserve Corps |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> Officers of the commissioned corps are classified as [[noncombatants]], unless directed to serve as part of the [[United States armed forces|military]] by the president or detailed to a service branch of the military.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/802 |title=10 U.S. Code § 802 – Art. 2. Persons subject to this chapter |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> Members of the commissioned corps wear uniforms modeled after the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard, with special Public Health Service Commissioned Corps insignia, and hold naval ranks equivalent to officers of the Navy and Coast Guard, along with corresponding in-service medical titles. Commissioned corps officers typically receive their [[Commission (document)|commissions]] through the commissioned corps's [[Direct commission officer|direct commissioning program]].

As with its parent division, the Public Health Service, the commissioned corps is under the direction of the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services]]. The commissioned corps is led by the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general]], who holds the rank of [[Vice admiral (United States)|vice admiral]] ([[Military Pay Grade|O-9]]).<ref name=Uniforms>{{cite web |url=http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/uniforms.aspx |title=U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps |publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=24 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513175033/http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/uniforms.aspx |archive-date=13 May 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The surgeon general reports directly to the Department of Health and Human Services [[Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]]. The assistant secretary for health may hold the rank of [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] (O-10) if they are also a serving uniformed officer of the commissioned corps.<ref name=Uniforms/>

==History==
The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps had its beginnings with the creation of the Marine Hospital Fund in 1798, which later was reorganized in 1871 as the [[Marine Hospital Service]]. The Marine Hospital Service was charged with the care and maintenance of merchant sailors, but as the country grew, so did the ever-expanding mission of the service. The Marine Hospital Service soon began taking on new expanding health roles that included such health initiatives that protected the commerce and health of America. One such role was [[quarantine]].{{fact|date=July 2023}}

[[John Maynard Woodworth]], a famous surgeon of the Union Army who served under General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]], was appointed in 1871 as the supervising surgeon. Woodworth's title was later changed to "Supervising Surgeon General", which later became the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general]]. Woodworth is credited with the formal creation of the commissioned corps. Woodworth organized the Marine Hospital Service medical personnel along Army military structure in 1889 to facilitate a mobile force of health professionals that could be moved for the needs of the service and country. He established appointment standards and designed the Marine Hospital Service herald of a [[Foul (nautical)#Fouled anchor|fouled anchor]] and [[Caduceus as a symbol of medicine|caduceus]]. Later that year of 1889, President [[Grover Cleveland]] signed an Act into law that formally established the modern Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (then the [[Marine Hospital Service]]) under the Supervising Surgeon (later Surgeon General). At first open only to physicians, over the course of the 20th century, the Corps expanded to 11 careers in a wide range of specialties to include veterinarians, dentists, [[occupational therapists]], physical therapists, engineers, pharmacists, nurses, environmental health specialists, scientists, dietitians, and other [[allied health professional]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://usphs.gov/profession/ |title=USPHS: Career & Benefits |website=usphs.gov |access-date=2016-11-06 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713024028/https://www.usphs.gov/profession/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Today, the commissioned corps is under the [[United States Public Health Service]] (PHS), a major agency now of the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]] (HHS), established by Congress in 1979 and 1980. It was previously established in 1953 as the [[United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare|U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare]] (HEW), and it is still led by the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general]]. The commissioned corps allocates officers to all of the other uniformed services depending on the health or medical needs of each service.{{fact|date=July 2023}}

By the 1980s, the wearing of uniforms on a day-to-day basis was not consistently practiced. In 1987, Surgeon General [[C. Everett Koop]] advocated for consistent use of the uniform while on duty, although he allowed individual agencies to determine their own requirements. In 2004, Surgeon General [[Richard Carmona]] made uniforms compulsory whenever officers were on duty.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Landman |first=Keren |date=2019-06-24 |title=For America's Public Health Officers, Questions of Duty and Purpose |url=https://undark.org/2019/06/24/public-health-service-commissioned-corps/ |access-date=2020-07-11 |website=Undark Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

The 2010 [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act]] established a Ready Reserve Corps for the PHSCC, but technical errors in the legislation prevented it from being implemented until the errors were corrected in the 2020 [[CARES Act]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hamon |first=Caitlin |date=2020-04-14 |title=USPHS Ready Reserve Corps Becomes Law With the CARES Act |url=https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2020-news-articles/advocacy/usphs-ready-reserve-corps-becomes-law-with-the-cares-act/ |access-date=2020-07-10 |website=Military Officers Association of America |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

According to {{USC|5|8331}}, service in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps after 30 June 1960, is considered military service for retirement purposes.  Under {{USC|42|213}}, active service in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is considered active military service for the purposes of most veterans' benefits.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2010-title42/pdf/USCODE-2010-title42-chap6A-subchapI-partA-sec212b.pdf |title=Title 42 – The Public Health and Welfare |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref>

==Purpose==
[[File:Doctrine for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, January 2021.pdf|thumb|right|A 2021 draft of the Doctrine for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, outlining the agency's purpose, history, and basic operational rules]]
[[File:A Day in the Life of LCDR Abigail - USPHS Commissioned Corps Mascot.webm|thumb|right|USPHSCC mascot Lt.&nbsp;Cmdr. Abigail comforting the ill]]
The stated mission of the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service is "Protecting, promoting, and advancing the health and safety of the Nation" in accordance with the commissioned corps's four Core Values: Leadership, Excellence, Integrity, and Service. Officers execute the mission of the commissioned corps in the following ways:<ref name=USPHSCC>{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://www.usphs.gov/about-us |website=Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref>
* Help provide healthcare and related services to medically underserved populations: to Native Americans, [[Alaska Natives]], and to other population groups with special needs;
* Prevent and control disease, identify health hazards in the environment and help correct them, and promote healthy lifestyles for the nation's citizens;
* Improve the nation's mental health;
* Ensure that drugs and medical devices are safe and effective, food is safe and wholesome, cosmetics are harmless, and that electronic products do not expose users to dangerous amounts of radiation;
* Conduct and support biomedical, behavioral, and health services research, and communicate research results to health professionals and the public; and
* Work with other nations and international agencies on global health problems and their solutions.

As of 2019, the most common agency for commissioned corps officers was the [[Indian Health Service]], followed by the [[Food and Drug Administration]], and then the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]].  The increased benefits and pay of commissioned corps officers is considered especially beneficial for the Indian Health Service, where recruitment is difficult due to the remote locations of many of its jobs.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Landman |first=Keren |date=2019-06-24 |title=For America's Public Health Officers, Questions of Duty and Purpose |url=https://undark.org/2019/06/24/public-health-service-commissioned-corps/ |access-date=2020-07-11 |website=Undark Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

In addition, the commissioned corps provides officers (medical officers, dental officers, therapists, [[environmental health]] officers, etc.) to other uniformed services, primarily the [[United States Coast Guard]] and the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]] (NOAA Corps), which do not commission their own medical or dental officers. The Commissioned Corps provides a number of officers to support the Coast Guard throughout the country, including within the Coast Guard's senior leadership: The Coast Guard's chief medical officer is a [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Commissioned corps officers also may be detailed to other U.S. Government agencies, including the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], [[TRICARE]], the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] ([[Federal Bureau of Prisons]]), the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], the [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]], and the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]] ([[National Park Service]]). Commissioned Corps officers may develop individual memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with other organizations, including state and local health agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The commissioned corps is often called upon by other federal, state, and local agencies to aid and augment in times when those agencies' resources are overwhelmed. These responses are designated as deployments by the Commissioned Corps, if the deployment is outside of the officer's normal duties, and coordinated through the Commissioned Corps's Readiness and Deployment Branch (RDB) in Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.usphs.gov/newsroom/features/recent/deployments.aspx |title=Commisisoned Corps Deployments: Public Health Emergency Responders |date=19 September 2014 |website=Usphs.gov |access-date=2016-11-06 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107114715/https://www.usphs.gov/newsroom/features/recent/deployments.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> Deployments may be for technical needs in standard settings, or in the event of disasters, in austere environments.

The commissioned corps may be militarized by an [[act of Congress]] or by [[executive order]] by the president of the United States, not only in time of war, but also in "an emergency involving the national defense proclaimed by the President." . {{USC|42|217}} states:<blockquote><poem>In time of war, or of emergency involving the national defense proclaimed by the President, he may by Executive order declare the commissioned corps of the Service to be a military service. Upon such declaration, and during the period of such war or such emergency or such part thereof as the President shall prescribe, the commissioned corps (a) shall constitute a branch of the land and naval forces of the United States, (b) shall, to the extent prescribed by regulations of the President, be subject to the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]], {{USC|10|801}} et seq., and (c) shall continue to operate as part of the Service except to the extent that the President may direct as Commander in Chief.</poem></blockquote> Major militarization of the Commissioned Corps occurred during [[World War II]] (1941–1945) and the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/PDF_docs/Oct01ccb.pdf |title=DCP.PSC.gov |website=Dcp.psc.gov |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051110005939/http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/PDF_docs/Oct01ccb.pdf |archive-date=10 November 2005 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Should it be called into active duty again, it would constitute a seventh branch of the [[United States Armed Forces]].<ref name="crs">{{Cite web |url=https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10550 |title=Defense Primer: The Military Departments |date=2023-01-09 |accessdate=2024-07-04 |language=en-US |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |first=Alan |last=Ott}}</ref>

==Deployments==

The commissioned corps is often deployed as part of the [[National Response Framework]] Emergency Support Function No. 8 – Public Health and Medical Services, but can be deployed outside of the Framework for various needs to other federal agencies, states, local governments, or even to aid foreign governments. Like all other federal-level responses, commissioned corps officers are deployed only upon request, and upon the recommendation of the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general]] and permission of the [[Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]]. During deployments, commissioned corps officers may report to regular office spaces, such as coordinating responses at state-of-the-art emergency operations centers, or into the field in extremely austere environments, such as when responding to a natural disaster. In addition, deployments may either be on an individual basis, such as when specific skill sets are needed, or as part of a team, when large-scale responses are needed.

The commissioned corps organizes PHS officers into units for rapid deployment. PHS officers are either assigned to a pre-configured rapid deployment unit (RDU) or a group augmenting those units. PHS officers must be prepared to deploy within 48 hours of receipt of deployment orders.<ref>POM 821.76, Deployment Procedures</ref> Rapid deployment units include Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) teams that are made up of over 100 officers with multiple specialties, and are focused on providing acute clinical care of disaster-exacerbated chronic conditions. Officers who do not work as a clinical care provider on one of these teams are often in support roles, such as logistics, administration/finance, or planning. Tier 2 teams are composed of a smaller, more specialized workforce. Other rapid deployment units include the Applied Public Health Team (APHT), the Mental Health Team (MHT), and the Services Access Team (SAT). PHS officers not already assigned to one of the rapid deployment units are used to augment the other teams in the event of staffing shortages due to availability, or the need to scale up a response.

Commissioned Corps personnel are trained and equipped to respond to public health crises and national emergencies, such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, or terrorist attacks. The teams are multidisciplinary and are capable of responding to domestic and international humanitarian missions.  Some notable deployments involving the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps include:<ref name="emergencyresponse">US Department of Health and Human Services. [http://www.usphs.gov/AboutUs/emergencyresponse.aspx Emergency Response at Commissioned Corps] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130194950/http://usphs.gov/aboutus/emergencyresponse.aspx|date=2010-11-30}}</ref>
* 1989 – [[Hurricane Hugo]]; [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake|Loma Prieta, California, earthquake]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=William B. |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a262240.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730142519/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a262240.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=30 July 2021 |title=The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps' Role in Disaster Response |publisher=The Industrial College of the Armed Forces |year=1992 |location=Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. |pages=12–27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holcomb |first=William |date=December 2000 |title=The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps: A Need for Engineers |journal=Military Medicine |volume=165 |issue=12 |pages=3–4 |doi=10.1093/milmed/165.12.949 |pmid=11149068 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* 1992 – More than 1,000 PHS officers were deployed to [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|South Dade County, Florida]], following [[Hurricane Andrew]].
* Early 1990s – Flooding throughout the United States and [[Alaska]].
* 1994 – [[1994 Northridge earthquake|Northridge, California, earthquake]].
* 1995 – [[Oklahoma City bombing|Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building]] in [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]].
* 1995 – Hundreds of PHS officers were deployed to the [[United States Virgin Islands|U.S. Virgin Islands]] following [[Hurricane Marilyn]].
* 1999 – Hospital center at [[Fort Dix]], New Jersey, for [[Kosovo War|Kosovo Refugees]]
* 2001 – More than 1,000 PHS officers were deployed to New York City after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|attacks on September 11, 2001]] to aid victims and provide medical and mental health services to responders and rescue workers.
* 2001 – [[2001 anthrax attacks]]
* 2004 – [[Hurricane Ivan]].
* 2004 – [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]]
* 2005 – More than 2,000 PHS officers deployed to set up field hospitals and render aid and assistance to evacuees and responders in the wakes of [[Hurricane Katrina]], [[Hurricane Rita]], and [[Hurricane Wilma]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/articles/OFRD_112805.htm |title=DCP.PSC.gov |website=Dcp.psc.gov |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528015937/http://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/articles/OFRD_112805.htm |archive-date=28 May 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* 2006 – [[2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake]]<ref name="emergencyresponse" />
* 2007 – [[Toxic cough syrup|Medicine Contamination in Panama]]
* 2008 – PHS-2 Rapid Deployment Force deployed pre-landfall to [[Louisiana]] in advance of [[Hurricane Gustav]]. It became the first standing PHS team to set up and run a Federal Medical Station. The team and 200 patients rode out the hurricane in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria's]] Riverfront Center. RDF-1 and RDF-3 deployed pre-landfall in advance of [[Hurricane Ike]] to set up Federal Medical Stations in [[College Station, Texas]], and [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], respectively.
* 2008 – [[Hurricane Ike]]
* 2009 – [[2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami]]
* 2010 – [[2010 Haiti earthquake|Haiti earthquake]]; [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill]] in the [[Gulf of Mexico]].
* 2011 – [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|2011 Japan tsunami and earthquake]]
* 2012 – [[Hurricane Sandy]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usphs.gov/newsroom/features/hurricane-sandy-response-inside-look.aspx |title=USPHS: Error occurred! |website=www.usphs.gov |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318043649/http://www.usphs.gov/newsroom/features/hurricane-sandy-response-inside-look.aspx |archive-date=18 March 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* 2014 – [[2014 American immigration crisis]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/fact-sheet-unaccompanied-children-central-america |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |title=FACT SHEET: Unaccompanied Children from Central America |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |date=20 June 2014}}</ref> of Unaccompanied Minor Children.
* 2014–2015 – [[West African Ebola virus epidemic|Ebola outbreak]] response<ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/16/fact-sheet-us-response-ebola-epidemic-west-africa |title=FACT SHEET: U.S. Response to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa |date=16 September 2014 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=2 November 2017}}</ref> including [[Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia]]—Ebola field hospital for health workers at [[Harbel]] near [[Monrovia]]<ref name="NYT110514">[https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/world/africa/treating-those-treating-ebola-in-liberia.html "Treating Those Treating Ebola in Liberia]" article by Sheri Fink in ''[[The New York Times]]'', 5 November 2014</ref>
* 2016–present – [[Great Plains]] region of the [[Indian Health Service]].
* 2017–present – [[Hurricane Maria]], [[Hurricane Irma]], and [[Hurricane Harvey]]
* 2020–present – [[COVID-19 pandemic]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/features/Feature_2019NovelCoronavirus.aspx |title=Commissioned Corps Management Information System}}</ref>

In addition to disaster response, the commissioned corps frequently partners with the [[United States Navy]] on health diplomacy missions. Commissioned Corps officers have been part of the Navy's [[Pacific Partnership]] (in the [[Pacific basin]]) and [[Operation Continuing Promise]] (in the [[Caribbean]] and western [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]]) since 2007. Such missions are often carried out on one of the Navy's commissioned [[hospital ship]]s ({{USNS|Mercy|T-AH-19}} and {{USNS|Comfort|T-AH-20}}), though other ships, such as the [[amphibious assault ship]] {{USS|Bataan|LHD-5}}, have also been used. The command staff of the PHS deployed team(s) is deployed for the entire mission duration (often three months), while operational personnel serve one month aboard, meeting and departing the ships at the ports of call during the mission.

== Ready Reserve Corps ==
[[File:U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Ready Reserve Video.webm|thumb|right|A 2020 promotional video for the Ready Reserve Corps]]
The [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]] (ACA), signed by [[Presidency of Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] on 23 March 2010, established the '''Ready Reserve Corps of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps''' as the new surge capacity for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.  The ready reserve corps is intended to fulfill the need for additional commissioned personnel on short notice to assist Regular Corps personnel for both routine public health and emergency response missions during involuntary calls to active duty.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=2 September 2010 |title=Ready Reserve Corps Update |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccbulletin/articles/Reserve_Update.aspx |access-date=14 January 2017 |website=US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps |publisher=Office of Reserve Affairs, Commissioned Corps E-Bulletin}}</ref>

The Ready Reserve Corps replaced the former Reserve Corps, which had active and inactive components.  All former Reserve Corps officers who were serving on extended active duty on 23 March 2010 were converted to Regular Corps officers. The same legislation also abolished the Inactive Reserve Corps (IRC) on 23 March 2010, and consequently the commissions of the existing 10,000 commissioned corps IRC officers. The IRC had consisted of inactive reservists voluntarily activating to provide over 3,000 active-duty days annually for routine and public health emergencies including during [[Hurricane Katrina]] and other emergency response missions, and in providing surge capacity for numerous shortages in isolated and hardship underserved areas. Inactive reservists also played roles in the humanitarian shipboard training missions with [[Uniformed services of the United States|other uniformed services]].<ref name=":0" />

A Ready Reserve Corps Working Integrated Project Team was convened in April 2010 to propose policy concepts, a strategic framework, and a budget. It submitted its final report in June 2010.  As of late 2010, the directives and policies to implement the Ready Reserve awaited [[Assistant Secretary for Health|Secretarial]] decisions.<ref name=":0" />

However, due to a technical error, the ACA failed to include statutory authority for pay and benefits, preventing the Ready Reserve Corps from being activated.<ref name=":1" /> Efforts to pass legislation to correct these errors picked up in late 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maucione |first=Scott |date=2019-11-04 |title=Public Health Service gets congressional attention for ready reserve corps |url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2019/11/public-health-service-gets-congressional-attention-for-ready-reserve-corps/ |access-date=2020-07-10 |website=Federal News Network |language=en-US}}</ref>  Funding was finally approved through the [[CARES Act]], passed on 18 March 2020, in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last1=Lawrence |first1=Quil |date=15 April 2020 |title=Public Health Service Poised To Create A Ready Reserve To Fight The Coronavirus |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/04/15/834235294/public-health-service-poised-to-create-a-ready-reserve-to-fight-the-coronavirus |access-date=16 April 2020 |website=NPR}}</ref> The first officers were expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2021.<ref name=":1" />{{update inline|date=October 2022}}

The Ready Reserve has three main components. The Selected Ready Reserve (SELRES) consists of officers who are required to train periodically and must be prepared for voluntary or involuntary active duty mobilization within 24 hours to respond to an urgent or emergency public health care need.  The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) consists of officers who have had military or USPHS Commissioned Corps training; they are not required to participate in training or other USPHS Commissioned Corps activities, but are subject to involuntary recall to active duty under certain circumstances. The Retired Reserve consists of members who accumulate 20 or more years of qualifying service and have reached age 60.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2022 |title=Ready Reserve Corps: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |url=https://www.usphs.gov/media/lh4bskpp/508_ready_reserve_faq_1-21-22.pdf |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps}}</ref>

==Ranks and insignia==
{{Main|United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officer rank insignia}}

{{Multiple image
| width1 = 126
| image1 = CAP DEVICE UNMOUNTED PHS.PNG
| caption1 = PHSCC combination cap device
| width2 = 122
| image2 = PHSCC Collar Device.png
| caption2 = PHSCC cap, collar, and sleeve device
| width3 = 124
| image3 = PHSCC Lapel Pin.png
| caption3 = PHSCC lapel pin ''(for civilian dress)''
| footer = {{center|'''U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps insignia'''}}
| align =
| direction =
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| alt1 =
}}

The Commissioned Corps adopted naval ranks to impose military discipline on the doctors of the service,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luckwaldt |first=Adam |date=2018-12-09 |title=The Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service |url=https://www.thebalancecareers.com/us-public-health-service-commissioned-corps-2356518 |access-date=2021-03-01 |website=The Balance Careers |language=en}}</ref> and their medical titles correspond with their service rank and [[Uniformed services pay grades of the United States|pay grade]]. The service uses officer ranks and service titles interchangeably when referring to the grades of its officers.

The commissioned corps uses the same commissioned officer [[military rank|rank structure]] as the United States [[United States Navy|Navy]] and [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]: from [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] to [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] (O-1 through O-10).<ref>{{Cite web |title=42 U.S. Code § 207 – Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/207 |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref>  Commissioned corps officers are typically appointed via [[Direct commission officer|direct commission]] and must complete a two-week officer basic course (OBC) before entering active duty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commissioned Corps Management Information System |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/training/TRAINING_courses_m.aspx |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=dcp.psc.gov}}</ref> Commissioned corps officers receive the same [[United States Military Pay|pay]] and benefits as other members of the [[Uniformed services of the United States|uniformed services]]. They cannot hold a dual commission with another uniformed service but inter-service transfers are permitted via {{USC|10|716}}.

The commissioned corps is authorized to use [[Warrant officer (United States)|warrant officer]] ranks W-1 to W-4<ref>{{USC|42|204}} – Commissioned Corps and Ready Reserve Corps<br />{{UnitedStatesCode|42|207}} – Grades, ranks, and titles of commissioned corps<br />{{USC|42|209}} – Appointment of personnel</ref> but does not currently use these ranks.

Unlike their [[United States Armed Forces]] counterparts, Commissioned Corps officers do not require their rank appointments and promotions to be [[Senate confirmation|confirmed]] by the [[United States Senate]], and only require approval from the president.<ref>{{Cite web |title=S.679 – Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, 112th Congress (2011–2012) |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/679? |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=U.S. Congress |date=10 August 2012 |language=en}}</ref> Officers serving as [[assistant secretary for health]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=42 U.S. Code § 202 – Administration and supervision of Service |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/202 |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref> and the [[Surgeon General of the United States|surgeon general]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=42 U.S. Code § 205 – Appointment and tenure of office of Surgeon General; reversion in rank |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/205 |access-date=2021-10-20 |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |language=en}}</ref> however, do require senatorial confirmation due to their status as senior federal officials.

<div class="noresize">
{| style="border:1px solid #8888aa; background:#f7f8ff; padding:5px; font-size:95%; margin:0 12px 12px 0; text-align:center;"
{{United States uniformed services pay grades/officer/blank}}
{{Ranks and Insignia of NATO Navies/OF/United States (PHSCC)}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Abbreviation
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2| ADM
| colspan=2| VADM
| colspan=2| RADM
| colspan=2| RDML<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levine |first=Rachel L. |date=2022-04-06 |title=Commissioned Corps Instruction 322.03, "Flag Grade Positions and Promotion" |url=https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/ccis/documents/CCI_322%2003.pdf |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=dcp.psc.gov}}</ref>
| colspan=2| CAPT
| colspan=2| CDR
| colspan=2| LCDR
| colspan=2| LT
| colspan=3| LTJG
| colspan=3| ENS
|- style="text-align:center;"
! Title
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2| [[Assistant Secretary for Health]]
| colspan=2| [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon general]]
| colspan=2| Deputy surgeon general or<br />Assistant surgeon general
| colspan=2| Assistant surgeon general
| colspan=2| Director
| colspan=2| Senior
| colspan=2| Full
| colspan=2| Senior assistant
| colspan=3| Assistant
| colspan=3| Junior assistant
{{Ranks and Insignia of NATO Navies/OF/Blank}}
|}
</div>

==Rank flags==

[[Flag officer]]s of the Commissioned Corps are authorized to use rank flags. When the Department of Health and Human Services [[Assistant Secretary for Health|assistant secretary for health]] is a Commissioned Corps admiral, they are authorized use of the flag of the Assistant Secretary for Health as a four-star rank flag. The Commissioned Corps vice admiral serving as [[Surgeon General of the United States]] uses the flag of the surgeon general as a three-star rank flag, while the Commissioned Corps rear admiral serving as deputy surgeon general uses the deputy surgeon general's flag as a two-star rank flag. Other Commissioned Corps rear admirals use a two-star assistant surgeon general flag, and Commissioned Corps officers at the rank of rear admiral (lower half) use a one-star assistant surgeon general flag.

{{gallery|mode=|whitebg=y|height=100
|File:Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary for Health.svg|{{center|Flag of the [[Assistant Secretary for Health]]<br />([[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]])}}
|File:Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg|{{center|Flag of the [[Surgeon General of the United States]]<br />([[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice admiral]])}}
|File:Flag of the United States Deputy Surgeon General.svg|{{center|Flag of the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States<br />([[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]])}}
|File:Flag of a 2-Star Assistant Surgeon General.svg|{{center|Flag of a 2-Star Assistant Surgeon General<br />([[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]])}}
|File:Flag of a 1-Star Assistant Surgeon General.svg|{{center|Flag of a 1-Star Assistant Surgeon General<br />([[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear&nbsp;admiral (lower&nbsp;half))]]}}
}}

==Officer specialty rates==

The members of the Commissioned Corps number over 6,000 officers in 11 professional categories:
* Dentist
* [[Dietitian]]
* Engineer
* [[Environmental health officer]]s
* [[Health service]]s
** Basic and Applied Science
** [[Dental hygienist|Dental Hygiene]]
** [[Health administration|Healthcare Administration]]
** [[Health information technology]]
** [[Medical laboratory scientist|Medical Laboratory Science]]
** [[Optometry]]
** [[Physician assistant]]
** [[Podiatry]]
** [[Public health]]
** Psychology
** [[Social Work]]
* Nurse
* [[Physician|Medical Officer]]
* Pharmacist
* Scientist
* [[Therapist]] (including [[Physical therapy|physical]], [[Occupational therapist|occupational]], [[Speech and language pathology|speech]], [[Respiratory therapist|respiratory]])
* [[Veterinarian]]

The Health Services Officer (HSO) category comprises over 50 allied health specialties, including [[audiology]], social workers, [[physician assistant]]s, [[optometrist]]s, statisticians, [[computer scientist]]s, [[dental hygienist]]s, [[medical record]]s administrators, [[medical technologist]]s and others.

==Uniforms==
{{Multiple image
| width1            = 125
| image1            = service dress blues.jpg
| alt1              = Service Dress Blues
| caption1          = Service dress blues
| width2            = 125
| image2            = summer whites.jpg|130px
| alt2              = Summer Whites
| caption2          = Summer whites
| width3            = 125
| image3            = Summer khakis.jpg
| alt3              = Service Khakis
| caption3          = Service khakis
| width4            = 263
| image4            = US Public Health Service Operation United Assistance 2014.jpg
| alt4              = USCG, NOAA Corps, and USPHS Operational Dress Uniform
| caption4          = [[Operational Dress Uniform]]
| footer            = '''U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps uniforms'''
| footer_align      = center
| align             = 
| direction         = 
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}}

Commissioned Corps officers wear uniforms similar to those of the [[United States Navy]] and the [[United States Coast Guard]] with special Public Health Service insignia. Their service dress blues, summer whites, and service khakis are modeled after the Navy's, and their operational dress uniform was modeled after the Coast Guard's. When attached to another uniformed service, a Commissioned Corps officer is subject to the grooming standards of that service for uniform appearance. Because of the close relationship between the Commissioned Corps and the Coast Guard, a Commissioned Corps officer on assignment with the Coast Guard is required to wear the same service uniforms as commissioned Coast Guard officers, although still wearing the insignia of the Commissioned Corps to identify them.

== March of the United States Public Health Service ==

[[File:"Public Health Service March", performed by the United States Coast Guard Band.oga|thumb|PHS March performed by the U.S. Coast Guard Band]]

Senior Musician George King III, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired) composed the "U.S. Public Health Service March" in the late 1980s, and presented the copyright to the PHS Surgeon General, by whom it is still held.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=King III |first=George |title=U.S. Public Health Service March |url=https://www.jwpepper.com/U.S.-Public-Health-Service-March/11336835.item |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=www.jwpepper.com}}</ref> The PHS is the only one of the uniformed services in which the copyright is held by the titular head of the Corps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=King III |first=George |title=U.S. Public Health Service March |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/phs_history/music.dir/music.html |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=www.nlm.nih.gov}}</ref><ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Images From the History of the Public Health Service: Supplementary Materials |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/phs_history/music.dir/music.html |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=www.nlm.nih.gov}}{{source-attribution}}</ref> In addition, King composed the Centennial Fanfare, "Anchor and Caduceus", for the PHS Corps Centennial event in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |last=King III |first=George |title=Anchor and Caduceus, U.S. Public Health Service Fanfare |url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/phs_history/music.dir/fanfare.au |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=www.nlm.nih.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja7rHvQHrII |title=US Public Health Service March |date=2015-01-19 |last=The United States Coast Guard Band - Topic |access-date=2024-07-15 |via=YouTube}}</ref> 

The U.S. Coast Guard Band recorded both the PHS March and Centennial Fanfare for the Public Health Service and presented it to the PHS during their centennial.  At the Washington gala celebrating the event in January of 1989, the Coast Guard Band played and Senior Musician King conducted, for the premier of the fanfare. The only coast guardsman so honored, Senior Musician King was presented the PHS Citation by Surgeon General Koop for his special service.<ref name=":03" /> The lyrics are as follows:

<blockquote><poem>The mission of our service is known the world around
In research and in treatment no equal can be found
In the silent war against disease no truce is ever seen
We serve on the land and the sea for humanity
The Public Health Service Team<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://videocast.nih.gov/closedcaptions/phs120612.txt |title=Archived copy |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=7 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107225808/http://videocast.nih.gov/closedcaptions/phs120612.txt |url-status=dead}}</ref></poem></blockquote>

== See also ==
* [[Awards and decorations of the Public Health Service]]
* [[Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service]]
* [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps]]
* [[Military Health System]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Fitzhugh, Mullan. ''Plagues and Politics: The Story of the United States Public Health Service.'' New York: Basic Books, 1989. {{ISBN|0-465-05779-9}}; {{ISBN|978-0-465-05779-5}}.

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=yes|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|species=no|f=no|m=no|mw=no|q=no|c=Category:United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|wikt=Public Health Service Commissioned Corps|s=no}}
* {{Official website}}
{{Uniformed services of the United States}}
{{HHS agencies}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps| ]]
[[Category:1798 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1798]]