PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
 Emergency Preparedness Planning & Resources





Emergency Preparedness Planning & Resources

Traditionally, hospitals have been perceived as the first line of defense in the event of a disaster. However, the state’s Community Health Centers not only play a significant role in maintaining the health of communities, they are well-positioned to participate in a local and statewide emergency response. Today, health centers are more than primary and preventative care providers – they are community responders. For more information about health centers and emergency preparedness, contact the League at 617-426-2225.

Check out below for information on:

Upcoming Trainings
News
Online Tools
Links
Publications
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Upcoming Trainings

The following flyers and registration forms are for the DelValle Institute's Response Courses for September - December 2007. The following courses are open to personnel in the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop: WMD Protection and Decontamination for Health Workers  (24 Hours), Advanced WMD/Hazardous Materials Technician Course  (40 Hours). The following courses are open to Boston-based personnel: WMD/Hazardous Materials Refresher Course  (8 Hours), WMD/Hazardous Materials Response Operations Level C  (8 Hours).

New Course - IS706 - NIMS Intrastate Mutual Aid: An Introduction. The Emergency Management Institute has issued a new online course providing the basics of intrastate (in-state) mutual aid. You will find an overview of the course, course objectives, target audience and other information as well as the link to the course at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS706.asp

Partners In Prevention: Infectious Disease Surveillance, Reporting and Control in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Public Health is pleased to let you know that the on-line training course, Partners In Prevention: Infectious Disease Surveillance, Reporting and Control in Massachusetts, has been recently updated and enhanced and is now available on the Massachusetts Local Public Health Institute web site. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Partners In Prevention, it is an interactive web-based, self-study training course that provides up-to-date information on Massachusetts’ infectious disease surveillance and reporting regulations; legal and confidentiality requirements; isolation and quarantine strategies; and infection control measures. Launched in October of 2004, it is an awareness level, competency-based course for persons who are mandated by Massachusetts laws and regulations to participate in infectious disease surveillance and reporting, but who may be new to their professions or unfamiliar with their roles. Visit http://www.masslocalinstitute.org/courseDetails.aspx?t=o&dateId=0&courseId=159 for updated information.

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News

September is National Preparedness Month
Is your health center participating? If so, sign up on the National Preparedness Month website as a coalition member and collaborator at http://www.ready.gov/america/npm07/index.html. The League did! It’s not to late, sign up your health center (or organization) today and increase the amount the Massachusetts participants in National Preparedness Month!

Final Policy Issued: FTCA Coverage for Health Centers Responding to Emergencies
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has issued Policy Information Notice (PIN) 2007-16 to describe and clarify the circumstances under which Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA)-deemed Health Center Program grantees are covered under the FTCA as they respond to emergencies. The PIN, "Federal Tort Claims Act Coverage for Health Center Program Grantees Responding to Emergencies," and the Agency's "Response to Public Comments" are available on HRSA's Web site at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/policy/pin0716/

HRSA Issued a PIN: 2007-15 Health Center Emergency Management Program Expectations
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has issued a Policy Information Notice (PIN) 2007-15 to provide guidance on emergency management expectations for health centers to assist them in planning and preparing for future emergencies. The PIN, "Health Center Emergency Management Program Expectations," and the Agency's "Response to Public Comments" are available at http://bphc.hrsa.gov/policy/pin0715/.

JAMA article - Nonpharmaceutical Interventions Implemented by US Cities During the 1918-1919 Influenza Pandemic
Please see the attached article , which concluded that there is “a strong association between early, sustained, and layered application of nonpharmaceutical interventions and mitigating the consequences of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic in the United States.” JAMA. 2007;298(6):644-654.

HHS Announces $75 Million In Supplemental Funding To States For Pandemic Flu Preparedness
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the Department is making available another $75 million to states, territories and four metropolitan areas to help strengthen their capacity to respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak. "The additional funding will provide our nation's health care community with a means to continue planning, training and acquiring needed equipment for an effective pandemic response," Secretary Leavitt said. "It will also help keep the momentum we have generated over the past year in this important public health area." The supplemental funding will be used to:

 - Establish or enhance stockpiles of critical medical equipment and supplies;
 - Continue development of plans for maintenance, distribution and sharing of those resources;
 - Plan for and develop pandemic alternate care sites; and
 - Conduct medical surge exercises.

The one-time pandemic influenza response planning grants will supplement the $430 million HHS announced on June 28, 2007, to strengthen the ability of hospitals and other health care facilities to respond to bioterror attacks, infectious diseases, and natural disasters that may cause mass casualties. Amounts for each jurisdiction is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2007pres/08/pr20070830a.html. More information on state and local funding allocations is available at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/news/allocation.html. More information on pandemic flu preparedness efforts is online at www.pandemicflu.gov.

Attached is the newest issue of GETS/WPS NewsNotes . This newsletter contains important program updates for you and for GETS/WPS subscribers. GETS/WPS = Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) and Wireless Priority Service (WPS).

MDPH updates Center for Emergency Preparedness website
The Center for Emergency Preparedness (CEP) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health serves as the single point of contact for emergency response to threats to the publics' health from bioterrorism, chemical and radiological emergencies, and epidemic infectious disease. CEP coordinates response efforts related to hospital preparedness and laboratory support activities. CEP works to assure coordination, information sharing, and technical assistance among local health agencies and officials through the creation and ongoing support of regional emergency preparedness coalitions throughout the Commonwealth. http://www.mass.gov/dph/emergencyprep

Links of interest:
Medical Reserve Corps (www.bostonmrc.org) - CHCs are encouraged to locate and contact your local Medical Reserve Corps.
Massachusetts System for Advance Registration (MSAR) – information available on the MDPH website about this program.
Behavioral Health Disaster Responders

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Online Tools

Toolkit for the Selection and Evaluation of Alternate Care Facilities. This ACF Toolkit has been developed by the Capitol Region MMRS (Hartford, CT) to assist our communities and hospitals in the process of selecting alternate care medical facilities. The evaluation tool is based on the AHRQ model but has been carefully modified to gather additional information to assist in developing a regional system of support for the chosen facilities in our jurisdiction. We offer these documents as templates for use in your jurisdictions. The Toolkit consists of the following and is available online for your use:

Power Point presentation: http://www.crcog.org/publications/HomeSecDocs/ESF%208/Alternate%20Care%20Sites/
ACF_PowerPoint_CREPC071920%2007.pdf.

Critical Releases in Homeland Security. Every two weeks, the Homeland Security Digital Library identifies "Critical Releases in Homeland Security," a targeted collection of recently-released documents that are expected to influence homeland security policy & strategy development. Articles of interest from August 2007: North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza; and Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities in the Provision of Disaster Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services.

Video 11: Generator Safety - During power outages, generators are widely used by the general public and problems can arise from improper use. Here are some tips on generator safety you can pass on to the communities in which you work. Watch the Generator Safety Preparedness Minute.

Yale New Haven Center for Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Preparedness Report - http://www.yalenewhavenhealth.org/emergency/

CDC Flu Tools -
FluAid is a test version of software created by programmers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is designed to assist state and local level planners in preparing for the next influenza pandemic by providing estimates of potential impact specific to their locality. FluAid provides only a range of estimates of impact in terms of deaths, hospitalizations, and outpatients visits due to pandemic influenza. The software cannot describe when or how people will become ill, nor how a pandemic may spread through a society over time. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/tools/fluaid/index.htm
FluSurge is a spreadsheet-based model which provides hospital administrators and public health officials estimates of the surge in demand for hospital-based services during the next influenza pandemic. FluSurge estimates the number of hospitalizations and deaths of an influenza pandemic (whose length and virulence are determined by the user) and compares the number of persons hospitalized, the number of persons requiring ICU care, and the number of persons requiring ventilator support during a pandemic with existing hospital capacity. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/tools/flusurge/
FluWorkLoss estimates the potential number of days lost from work due to an influenza pandemic. Users can change almost any input value, such as the number of workdays assumed lost when a worker becomes ill or the number of workdays lost due to a worker staying home to care for a family member. Users can also change the length and virulence of the pandemic so that a range of possible impacts can be estimated. FluWorkLoss provides a range of estimates of total workdays lost, as well as graphic illustrations of the workdays lost by week and percentage of total workdays lost to influenza-related illnesses. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/tools/fluworkloss/

Travelers Health

CDC Travel Advisories
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm

Avian Influenza - Update: Human Infection with Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_flu/

Update: Guidelines and Recommendations - Interim Guidance about Avian Influenza A (H5N1) for U.S. Citizens Living Abroad
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_flu_ig_americans_abroad_032405.htm

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Links

Please check out the following resources:

Visit this page often for updates, training and education activities, events and drills. If you have any questions regarding statewide preparedness and the League’s activities, contact Tina Wright at 617-426-2225.

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Publications

The following publications and slides are available (by request) to health centers for Emergency Preparedness:

Incident Command Systems:

  • Community Health Center - Incident Command System (CHC-ICS), by the DelValle Training Institute, 02/2004 

  • ICS Adaptation - A Health Center Story, by Pam Russell-Kuzia, RN, Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, 05/2004 

  • Basics of ICS for CHCs, 01/2006

Emergency Operations Planning:

  • Emergency Operations Plan Assessment Tool, by the DelValle Institute, 03/2004

  • Basic Emergency Operations Plan Template, by the DelValle Institute, 03/2004

  • Developing the Plan - How to Build a CHC Emergency Operations Plan, by Cecelia Joseph, RN, Codman Square Health Center, 05/2004

  • Emergency Operations – Plans for Everyday, by Paulette Shaw Querner, RN, MPH, Harbor Health Services, 09/2005

Other Resources:

  • Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry, by FEMA

  • League Emergency Preparedness Survey for CHCs, 01/2005

  • League Emergency Preparedness Survey for CHCs Report, 10/2005

  • CHC Emergency Preparedness in Boston - Lessons Learned, by Suzanne Crowther, Boston Public Health Commission, 05/2004

  • Mentors in Emergency Preparedness, 09/2006

  • Maps - Mass. CHC sites, Mass. CHC and hospital sites, Mass. CHC sites within EP regions, Boston CHC sites, Hospital sites by EP regions

More Information
For more information or to request a publication, email your request to Tina Wright.

 

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