HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION



HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL BIOTERRORISM HOSPITAL PREPAREDNESS PROGRAM

To develop and enhance hospital and other health care entities’ capacity and capability to respond to terrorism, natural disasters and other public health emergencies, the DHSS’ National Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program (NBHPP) collaborates with DHSS’ Division of Community and Public Health, Division of Regulation and Licensure and the State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL) and forms partnerships with several organizations and associations within Missouri.

Competency-based education has been provided to hospitals and other health care entities by DHSS and through contracts with Missouri Hospital Association (MHA), St. Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS) and Mid America Regional Council (MARC), and Department of Mental Health (DMH). Education that has been provided includes:

• AWR-160 Weapons of Mass Destruction Training

• National Incident Management System Train-the-Trainer

• Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support

• Train-The-Trainer Equipment Instruction

• Operations Level Decontamination/HAZMAT Training.

• Psychological First Aid Training

Through contracts with Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA) and Missouri Alliance for Home Care (MAHC), the NBHPP funds have provided staff the opportunity to participate in planning efforts, educational opportunities, and exercises. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and Home Care Industries are equipped to offer assistance to local public health agencies and hospitals. Their offices may be used as a triage site or an alternative care center, based on the regional plans.

To increase surge capacity, DHSS, in collaboration with MHA, MARC and STARRS has provided Missouri hospitals several million dollars in equipment and supplies through the NBHPP funding. Equipment and supplies that hospitals have received includes emergency blankets and towels, hospital emergency triage response kits, redundant communication equipment, handheld radiation detection meters, Class C Personal Protective Equipment, military-style litters and stands with decontamination capability; and other decontamination equipment.

Using the Modular Emergency Medical System concept, mobile emergency response trailers have been purchased, equipped and located throughout the State. These trailers are equipped with deployable tools to assist in developing surge capacity. The surge/medical trailers are equipped with cots and comfort kits to provide care for 1860 patients for six days. Each of the trauma trailers has complete interoperability communications packages, a shelter and trauma supplies. These trailers have the capacity to care for 2200 patients statewide.

The regional placement of the trailers provides reduced response time in deployment to a mass casualty incident or disaster. Hospitals hosting a trailer have agreed to maintain the trailers for use within their communities or in response to regional or state emergencies. Mobile emergency response trailers have been placed in the following locations- by region and type of trailer:

Region |A |B |C |D |E |F |G |H |I | |Surge/medical |9 | |5 |2 | | | | | | |Trauma | |2 | |4 |5 |5 |1 |1 |1 | |Decontamination | | |5 | | | | | | | |PPE | | |4 | | | | | | | |

The MO-1 Disaster Medical Assistant Team (MO-1 DMAT) is a local, regional, state and federal resource. Team members include professional and paraprofessional medical personnel (supported by a cadre of logistical and administrative staff) designed to provide emergency medical care during a disaster or other event. The team continues to develop and enhance three regional (Divisional) Response Teams located in three strategic locations around the state; St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield/Branson areas.

Five of the Region A surge/medical trailers and state Disaster Medical Assistance Team equipment were deployed to Region C to assist with preparation for hurricane victims during hurricane Katrina. Five Region A and five Region C surge/medical trailers were deployed during the St. Louis Power Outage this summer.

During the coming year NBHPP funding will be used to enhance the state’s health care system’s capacity and capability to effectively handle epidemics of rare diseases, exposures to chemical toxins and mass casualty events that result in fewer deaths, long term disabilities and required hospitalizations. Emphasis will continue to be placed on increasing bed capacity including identifying alternative care sites and special needs shelters; developing and implementing patient tracking and bed tracking response system; securing a pharmaceutical cache for hospital personnel and their families; full implementation of the volunteer professional registration system; Incident Command training; and pandemic, earthquake and strategic national stockpile activation exercises. A consistent tiered response structure and the national preparedness principles will be the guide to the development of Missouri’s system that is capable of responding to terrorist attacks, natural disasters or other public health emergencies.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download