Between March 2020 and March 2021, Northern California
experienced three COVID-19 surges, each one sequentially larger
than the last. Each of these surges had the potential to strain
traditional physician staffing, and so a centralized physician
redeployment program was developed across the 21 medical centers
of Kaiser Permanente Northern California to address potential
shortages. The program developed and refined a number of
redeployment strategies, including leveraging the
interconnectedness of physicians within the KP Northern
California health care system. This presentation focuses on the
strategies used to redeploy physicians, as well as the training
and mental health support provided by the program.
The CST is an evacuation-based exercise and is one of the
required activities that Healthcare Coalitions (HCCs) must
participate in as members of the Hospital Preparedness Program
(HPP).
Although the CST is an annual requirement, HPP waived this
requirement for the last two years due to COVID. HPP requires
HCCs to conduct the CST exercise this year. The purpose of the
CST exercise is to foster coordination, collaboration, and
communication among HCC partners.
At the suggestion of many partners, including hospitals,
healthcare associations, and HCC members, HPP staff, with the
help of numerous SMEs, revised the CST exercise. This session
provides the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming
revisions, ask questions and receive explanations.
David Csernak, MS, MA
Regional Supervisor (Acting), National Healthcare Preparedness
Programs, Emergency Management & Medical Operations, Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
Kevin Sheehan
Captain, U.S. Public Health Service, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), National Hospital
Preparedness Program (HPP), Region IX
Olugbadero Yerokun
Consultant, Core Business Operations
Deloitte
The presentation includes lessons learned and best practices
identified through a comprehensive examination of the WRAP-EM
community regional response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The
presentation will provide information on the impact a supportive
regional community can have on the positive health outcomes of
pediatric patients, their families, health care providers,
communities, and beyond.
Additionally, the presentation focuses on the WRAP-EM survey of
pediatric emergency preparedness experts on telehealth
infrastructure and how telehealth was integrated into existing
pediatric emergency care. In addition to creating several
recommendations for health systems, speakers share the
challenges, what worked and lessons learned during the pandemic
along with a “telehealth legal playbook” that addresses legal and
regulatory barriers to telehealth in pediatric disaster
management.
UC Health Emergency Managers at all five UC Medical Centers were
front and center for COVID-19 response, even before it was a
leading news story. The EMs are often asked questions like: How
did we do this? Did we know this was coming? What are we thinking
about now? What is it that you do here, exactly? They would love
to share their experiences with you. Join us for a panel
presentation with the Emergency Managers from all five University
of California Medical Centers.
On June 8, 2021 CHA distributed its final edition of CHA’s
Coronavirus Response. CHA will provide
regular updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic through its
twice-weekly newsletter, CHA News. Staff at member hospitals who
don’t currently receive CHA News may subscribe on the CHA website.
To address the challenges of managing disaster response and
recovery efforts as our nation enters the second year of the
novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, FEMA is releasing the
“COVID-19
Pandemic Operational Guidance: All-Hazards Incident Response and
Recovery” to help emergency managers and public
health officials best prepare for disasters, while continuing to
respond to and recover from COVID-19.
The coronavirus is changing all of our lives, and we are relying
on our health care system like never before. California’s
hospitals are working around the clock to care for patients and
prepare for a projected surge in patient volume. Many are taking
unprecedented measures to expand their ability to care for
current and anticipated COVID-19 cases, not to mention other
urgent health care needs.
To help support hospitals and health systems in their
efforts to prepare and care for patients COVID-19, CHA has
compiled the latest updates, guidance, and resources related
to the virus including webinar recordings, state and federal
actions, and other timely information for hospitals.
With resources at critically low levels across all regions of the
state, the nation, and worldwide, the best way to get supplies in
California is to request them through the Medical and Health
Operational Area Coordinator (MHOAC) Program.
A list of county MHOAC contacts is here,
and a reference guide for making requests — along with a chart
illustrating the flow of communication and resources
– is
here.
Instructions for requesting supplies through MHOAC — a process
that is tested annually with your hospital and disaster
coordinator during the November Statewide Medical and Health
Exercise — are below.
Hospital initiates the request to the MHOAC using a 213 Resource
Request (RR). Note: Even though hospitals often realize that
local, regional, and state caches may be empty, it is important
to continue submitting 213 RR requests to ensure the requests are
making it to CDC for potential fulfillment.
The MHOAC distributes any local supplies available.
If there are insufficient local/county supplies, the MHOAC
submits the hospital’s 213 RR to the Regional Disaster Medical
and Health Specialist to check for available supplies in the
region.
If there are insufficient supplies in the region, the Regional
Disaster Medical and Health Specialist submits the hospital’s 213
RR to the State Medical and Health Command Center, which is a
combined state command center of the Emergency Medical Services
Authority and the California Department of Public Health.
If there are insufficient state supplies, the Medical and Health
Command Center shares the requests with the State Operations
Center, which then — under the Governor’s emergency declaration —
makes a request from the Strategic National Stockpile and Vendor
Managed Inventory.
If you are using this process and not receiving a response
or the necessary resources you need, please contact Mary Massey,
vice president, emergency preparedness,
at mmassey@calhospital.org.
This Primer provides key information on the public health
emergency response to the COVID-19. The primer will provide
information & objective guidance (not legal advice) on emerging
issues of law and policy and serve as a quick briefing on core
legal preparedness and response issues
Pandemic events present multiple challenges to the health care
environment and the ability of the respiratory therapist to
provide mechanical ventilation to all persons in need.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Strategic
National Stockpile (SNS) is a repository of ventilators that
would be used to supplement the supply currently in use by the
nation’s acute care facilities. These ventilators can be
requested and allocated to areas of need in the event of a
pandemic.
ASPR TRACIE compiled and synthesized information from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local and state health
departments, and other open sources.
This response highlights resources for healthcare system
emergency preparedness planners to use while preparing for and
responding to infectious disease outbreaks with drive-through
clinic models.
Considerations and lessons learned from these materials are also
gathered and provided as points for consideration. ASPR TRACIE
reached out to members of its Subject Matter Expert Cadre for
information and will update this document with additional
operational resources and guidance documents as they become
available.
The Listen, Protect and Connect psychological first aid system
designed for families, neighbors, co-workers and first
responders. One version is an “all ages” family-to-family,
neighbor-to-neighbor version and two are specifically for
supporting children. One for parents and one just for teachers
and schools to use.
This approach suggests ways we all can support each other’s
resilience and coping before, during and after emergencies. The
approach builds on strengths and practices that families and
community already use and offer additional ideas and tools to
call upon in times of disaster.
A fact-sheet for parents and caregivers about infectious disease
outbreaks in your community. Knowing important information
about the outbreak and learning how to be prepared can reduce
stress and help calm likely anxieties.
This resource will help parents and caregivers think about how an
infectious disease outbreak might affect their family— both
physically and emotionally—and what they can do to help their
family cope.
Frequently Asked Questions about use of stockpiled N95 filtering
facepiece respirators for protection from COVID-19 beyond the
manufacturer-designated shelf life.
Note: this guidance is subject to change as
the situation evolves.
Solano County recorded the first U.S. case unrelated to
international travel, raising fears of a local outbreak — and
California hospitals are bracing for the possibility of large
numbers of coronavirus patients at a time many are already
stretched thin because of the flu season.
