Healthcare Coalitions

John Heywood English Writer

Coalition: a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause may be temporary or a matter of convenience a joining of 'factions', usually those with overlapping interests rather than opposing

Response-Oriented Healthcare Coalitions – Goal: To promote healthcare system resiliency and adequate surge capacity and capability across the affected community during a mass casualty and/or mass effect incident

Surge, Capacity, & Capability Medical Surge – Ability to provide adequate medical evaluation & care during events that exceed the limits of the normal medical infrastructure of an affected community – medical system resiliency Medical Surge Capacity – Ability to evaluate & care for a markedly increase volume of patients - one that challenges or exceeds normal operating capacity Medical Surge Capability – Ability to manage patients requiring unusual or very specialized medical evaluation & care not normally available at the location where they are needed

Mass Casualty & Mass Effect Mass Casualty Incident: An incident that generates a sufficiently large number of casualties (patients) whereby the available healthcare resources, or their management systems, are severely challenged or unable to meet the healthcare needs of the affected population Mass Effect Incident: An incident that primarily affects the ability of an organization to continue its normal operations. For healthcare organizations this can disrupt the delivery of routine healthcare services and hinder their ability to provide needed surge capacity

A Healthcare Coalition Should: Not replace the day-to-day operations or any individual organization Promote open & fair representation for all of its members and organizations Support not supplant – Coordination versus command Provide situational awareness – Coalition members – Leadership (EOC) Facilitate resource support – Between members – From support agencies outside coalition

Response Recovery Mitigation Preparedness integrates with ESF 8 and the ICS to provide healthcare situational awareness in order to inform the decision making process for the allocation of resources assist healthcare organizations within their jurisdictions to return to normal healthcare delivery operations address areas in critical infrastructure and key resource allocation planning that decreases the vulnerability of the healthcare delivery follow the steps of the preparedness cycle to effectively mitigate, respond to, and recover from a disaster Healthcare Coalitions:

Preparedness Cycle

FY12-13 HPP Requirements Functions 1 & 2 of Healthcare Preparedness Capability 1 – Healthcare System Preparedness – Associated priority resource elements Formation of a Healthcare Coalition Hospital Risk Assessment

HPP Capability 1 Healthcare system preparedness is the ability of a community’s healthcare system to prepare, respond, and recover from incidents that have a public health and medical impact in the short and long term. The healthcare system role in community preparedness involves coordination with emergency management, public health, mental/behavioral health providers, community and faith-based partners………

HPP Functions 1.Develop, refine, or sustain Healthcare Coalitions 2.Coordinate healthcare planning to prepare the healthcare system for a disaster

FY12-13 PHEP Requirements Functions 1, 2, & 3 of Public Health Preparedness Capability 1 – Community Preparedness – Associated priority resource elements Formation of its Healthcare Coalition Public Health Risk Assessment

PHEP Capability 1 Community preparedness is the ability of communities to prepare for, withstand, and recover – in both the short and long terms – from public health incidents. By engaging and coordinating with emergency management, healthcare organizations (private & community-based, mental/behavioral health providers, community and faith-based partners…….

PHEP Functions 1.Determine the risks to the health of the jurisdiction 2.Build community partnerships to support health preparedness 3.Engage with community organizations to foster public health, medical, and mental/behavioral health social networks

What are some of the steps that can be used to develop a healthcare coalition?

Tasks Complete/update HVA to identify potential health related risks Identify & establish coalition boundaries Identify & invite partners Organize & establish coalition structure

Hazardous Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) Can be organizational or jurisdictional Provides understanding of the hazard risks & probability Helps to prioritize issues Provides a “needs assessment” Multi-steps: – Identify & prioritize likely hazards – Identify vulnerability and impact for each hazard Individual organizations & the community/jurisdiction – Risks = likely hazards + vulnerability Sort & prioritize – Interventions ( Mitigation & Preparedness)

Examples of Possible Partners Laboratories Long Term Care Medical Examiner Medical First Responders Pharmacies Poison Control Center Primary Care Providers Tribal Health Behavioral Health Blood Banks Board of Health City/County Public Health EMS/Ambulance Environmental Health Home Health Care Hospitals HCO-A

Examples of Possible Partners Local Government Private Business National/Local Organizations Schools Special-Needs Populations Vendors Board of Supervisors Emergency Management Faith-Based Organizations Fire Services Law Enforcement Non HCO-1

Advisory Group Membership Minimum recommendations: – Environmental Health – Hospital – Public Health Ideally – Emergency Management – Other HCO & Non HCO representatives

Summary Coalitions can enhance a community’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters with a healthcare related component HVA results can be beneficial in identifying potential coalition partners Coalitions are self-governing and identify their own boundaries (jurisdiction)