The Outstanding Unit Citation (OUC) is the second-highest unit honor award issued as part of the Commissioned Officers’ Awards Program (COAP) of the United States Public Health Service. Issued only as a ribbon, the OUC was established to recognize a group of officers who have made exceptional contributions in helping the Commissioned Corps achieve its goals and objectives.
Because it is surpassed only by the Presidential Unit Citation in terms of prestige, the service provided by the group of officers not only must be outstanding, but also of national significance. Units that have achieved noteworthy accomplishments on a level far above what is normally expected but which fail to reach this level of importance or significance will likely qualify instead for the Unit Commendation Award. The overwhelming majority of OUC recipients work in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because their work often involves response to medical crises or emergencies likely to have an impact at the national or even international level.
On January 11, 2017, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Health issued Commissioned Corps Instruction 1511.01 announcing that the Assistant Secretary of Health had delegated approval of the Outstanding Unit Citation award to the Surgeon General without the option to redelegate awarding authority.