The Untapped Potential of Health-Focused NGOs

Agility and Innovation

NGOs come in all shapes and sizes, from large international organizations to small local nonprofits, but they share a common strength: the ability to move quickly and adapt to changing conditions. In public health emergencies, this flexibility can be life-saving. NGOs can set up mobile clinics, establish pop-up testing sites, and deploy volunteer healthcare workers faster than large government agencies. Yet their specialized services often go unnoticed or underutilized by formal disaster response systems.

Deep Community Connections

Many NGOs have built trust and relationships with the communities they serve over years—or even decades—of grassroots work. This gives them a unique advantage in understanding local cultures, languages, and pain points. During crises, this local knowledge is critical for effective messaging and targeted outreach. However, these insights are often lost in rigid, top-down disaster management systems that fail to fully incorporate NGO expertise.

Focus on Equity

NGOs commonly work with underserved communities, from low-income neighborhoods in urban centers to remote rural towns. They understand the cultural and structural barriers that prevent certain populations from accessing emergency services. Without formal inclusion in government-led responses, these vulnerable populations risk being overlooked—a failing that can worsen health disparities and prolong crises.

Why the Disconnect?

FEMA VAL: A Good Start, But Limited Scope

The FEMA Volunteer Agency Liaison (VAL) program connects voluntary organizations with local, state, and federal emergency management officials. While it’s an important coordination tool, the VAL program historically focuses on general volunteer organizations providing services such as shelter, food, or financial assistance.

• Challenge for Medical NGOs: Public health and medical NGOs have specialized needs (e.g., licensing, specialized training, clinical supplies) and offer specialized services (mobile clinics, mental health support, disease surveillance). These don’t always fit neatly within the scope of general volunteer coordination that FEMA’s VAL typically handles.

VOAD: A Network Without a Niche for Health

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is a coalition of nonprofits that promotes cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration. While VOAD effectively unites many groups that address shelter, basic sustenance, and spiritual care, there is no clear or formal pathway for integrating public health–focused NGOs or medical NGOs.

• Limited Integration with Healthcare Systems: VOAD’s broad membership doesn’t routinely include in-depth partnerships with local health departments or hospitals. This makes it difficult for medical NGOs—which need tight integration with healthcare systems—to fully leverage VOAD’s network.

Consequences of the Current Disconnect

1. Delayed or Duplicated Efforts
   Without structured collaboration, NGOs may deploy resources to the same areas as others or miss critical hotspots entirely. This can slow the overall response, resulting in preventable delays in care.

2. Information Gaps
   Government agencies need real-time data on the ground, while NGOs need updates on policy changes and resource availability. When there’s no formal channel for data-sharing, both sides operate at a disadvantage.

3. Inequitable Care
   Vulnerable communities often fall through the cracks when local responses aren’t mapped to the needs of marginalized populations. NGOs that specialize in serving these communities can help close the gap—if they’re part of an integrated strategy.

4. Overwhelmed Health Systems
   In large-scale disasters—like pandemics—hospitals quickly fill up. Medical NGOs could set up parallel clinics, expand testing, or handle outpatient care, but without formal integration, their impact is often limited or uncoordinated.

Bridging the Gap: A VAL-Like Program Within ASPR

A key solution to these challenges is establishing a dedicated VAL equivalent within ASPR at HHS. ASPR oversees federal public health preparedness and response activities, making it the ideal place to coordinate medical and public health NGOs. A specialized VAL-style program under ASPR would:

1. Create a Direct Line of Communication
   By sitting under HHS, a VAL-like entity would ensure public health and medical NGOs have an official seat at the table. This dedicated liaison could facilitate two-way information flow about available services, supply needs, and disease surveillance.

2. Standardize Expectations and Requirements
   Medical NGOs face distinct licensing, credentialing, and regulatory hurdles. A VAL program within ASPR would be equipped to address these barriers and develop guidelines so NGOs can rapidly deploy in disaster zones without bureaucratic delays.

3. Integrate with Other Federal Entities
   While FEMA responds to immediate humanitarian needs, ASPR leads on public health. A specialized liaison in ASPR could work closely with FEMA, CDC, and other agencies to ensure that medical NGOs’ capabilities are fully leveraged in crisis situations.

4. Coordinate Resource Allocation
   A VAL-like program within ASPR could track which NGOs offer certain specialized services—like mental health care, infectious disease expertise, or pediatric care—and match them to areas in greatest need. This reduces duplication and streamlines resource distribution.

5. Encourage Joint Training and Preparedness
   In peacetime, NGOs, local health departments, and ASPR could collaborate on tabletop exercises and drills. This ensures that when a real emergency hits, everyone understands each other’s roles, capabilities, and communication channels.

Other Key Steps Toward Better Integration

1. Medical NGO Subgroups Within VOAD
   Even with an ASPR-centered liaison, NGOs would still benefit from coordination under the VOAD umbrella. Creating dedicated subgroups for medical and public health nonprofits helps these organizations share best practices, pool resources, and train volunteers.

2. Local and State-Level Liaisons
   Some states are already experimenting with having specialized liaisons who bring NGOs and public health departments together. Scaling these successes up to the federal level—and tying them back to ASPR—could ensure consistency in how NGOs are involved across the nation.

3. Clear Funding Streams and Incentives
   Grant programs that incentivize collaboration between local health departments, hospitals, and NGOs would help break down barriers. If collaboration becomes a requirement for certain funding opportunities, partnerships naturally grow stronger.

4. Technology-Driven Data Sharing
   Secure, cloud-based platforms can bridge physical distance and administrative walls. By hosting patient data (with proper privacy protocols), resource inventories, and best practices in a shared space, official responders and NGO staff can stay on the same page—literally.

Looking Forward

Public health and medical NGOs aren’t just incidental players in disaster scenarios; they’re essential partners with specialized skills, cultural competencies, and community ties. The current frameworks—FEMA’s VAL program and VOAD—excel at coordinating general volunteer organizations but don’t fully account for the unique needs and contributions of medical NGOs.

Creating a VAL-like program within ASPR specifically tailored to medical and public health nonprofits could revolutionize how communities respond to disasters. By recognizing NGOs as core stakeholders, we can move beyond a patchwork of isolated efforts and toward a system where every talent, resource, and piece of local knowledge is strategically utilized.

Only by intentionally building these bridges—through dedicated liaisons, improved policy, and proactive collaboration—will we unlock the full potential of NGOs and ensure that every community, especially its most vulnerable members, receives the timely and equitable care they need in a crisis.