1. A Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition for Western Massachusetts

2. What’s This All About?
Two federal agencies (CDC and ASPR) are integrating emergency preparedness and response for public health and hospitals.
Both hospital and public health grant guidance suggests healthcare coalitions.
MA DPH decided to implement this new mandate with Health and Medical Coordinating Coalitions (HMCCs)

3. Health and Medical Coordinating Coalition Composition
Five disciplines
Public health
Hospitals
Long-term care
Community health centers
Emergency medical services
Consolidated geographic regions
All of western MA in one region

4. What will the HMCC do?
Conduct regional planning and develop regional plans that address all phases of the disaster cycle
Participate in cooperative training and exercising of regional plans
Develop and maintain an emergency response structure with required regional roles filled by paid personnel: staffing a coordination center providing situational awareness and handling resource requests.
Maintain up-to-date local contact lists for all five disciplines for all of western MA
During an event:
Coordinate a cohesive regional response with a single, 24/7 point of contact for communication in the region and with DPH
Gather pertinent information to maintain and communicate situation awareness
Coordinate requests for assets and resources
Assist with recovery and mitigation efforts
Case for Change, DPH, Aug. 2013

5. Timeline Phase 1: 7/1/15-9/30/15: Phase 2: 10/1/15 – 6/30/16:
HMCC funding distributed for sponsoring agency, public health coalitions, and hospitals
Identify/hire staff and meeting facilitator
Hold regional meetings and individual meetings with 5 disciplines to assess current efforts, determine gaps and priorities
Phase 2: 10/1/15 – 6/30/16:
Establish timeline to formalize governing body by 12/31/15
Develop funding allocation formula for second year
24/7/365 coverage, situational assessment, and resource support all operational
Conduct regional all-hazards planning, participate in regional training & exercises
Assume regional coordination function
Phase 3: 7/1/16-6/30/17
Fully operational HMCC with formalized governing body that has exercised operational plans, created plans to fill any gaps.
Distribute funds according to new formula
RFR, DPH – March 2015

6. Who’s going to do the HMCC’s work?
FRCOG has been selected to act as sponsoring organization
Coordinating Coalition governing board composition already under discussion in western MA – all disciplines will be represented and committee structure will coordinate with existing region-wide Homeland Security subcommittees.
The FRCOG will subcontract work, as allowed by MDPH, to current public health coalitions and hospitals. In Year One, DPH will continue to contract with EMS, community health centers, and long term care.
All funded staff will share expertise and responsibilities across counties, e.g.:
Planning
Training & exercises
24/7 coverage

7. Who is FRCOG?
Former county government, with all 26 former towns still members
Regional planning agency
Fiduciary for Homeland Security for western MA
Fiduciary for all the Western MA Medical Reserve Corps grants
Coordinator of the Pioneer Valley and Berkshire County COAD organizations (Community Organizations Active in Disaster)
Substance Abuse Technical Assistance provider for all local coalitions in Western MA.
Host to numerous regional entities and services, including:
shared building inspection
a regional health district
the regional emergency planning committee (REPC)
the Franklin County public health preparedness coalition (MAPHCO)

8. What experience does FRCOG have?
Years of experience in hosting programs shared by multiple communities
Robust finance department, managing $6 million budget already, which repeatedly gains approval from MDPH during annual audits
Proficient at working with governing boards:
WRHSAC, REPC, Public Health Preparedness Coalition
FRCOG Council, Building Inspection Program Advisory Board
Communities That Care Coalition
FC Emergency Communication System Oversight Committee
Health district oversight board
Committed to responsiveness to oversight board priorities and transparency.
Web platform that can easily support communication, open meeting law, publications, etc.
Staff already in place with experience in the field, including HSEEP certification, ICS training, project/contract management

9. What do we envision will stay the same at the local level?
The coalitions and committees formed under the previous system would still exist and meet regularly
Public health coalitions
Medical Coordinating Group
MassMAP
WMEMS
County-level public health coalition staff would stay locally employed.
For public health coalitions, a similar system as the current one for sharing work on deliverables for maximum efficiency.
For the first year, funding allocations will be determined by the existing bodies, not the HMCC

10. What will change?
All five disciplines (hospitals, long-term care, community health centers, EMS, and county public health coalitions) will coordinate with each other through both an overarching governing board and shared HMCC staff, which should improve preparedness for our region.
HMCC staff will be required to assist in response and recovery, not just planning and exercises
HMCC will handle all administrative functions including contracting, procurement, reporting. As a result, DPH has reduced local PHEP coalition funding by approximately 15%.
As of the second year, funds would be managed and distributed by the sponsoring organization, according to a formula adopted by the governing board of the HMCC

11. Contact Information
Tracy Rogers, Regional Preparedness Program Manager, x118, Mark Maloni, HMCC Planning and Operations, x154, Western MA HMCC Stakeholder Webpage: