WEEKLY UPDATE: 09/26/24
On Thursday, September 26, the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), and UConn Health, in observance of National Preparedness Month, held a press conference at UConn John Dempsey Hospital to recognize continuous collaboration between healthcare organizations and the state to always remain ready to respond to emergencies and disasters — both natural and man-made.
During the press conference, CHA Director of Government Relations Brian Cournoyer described how the state, hospitals, health systems, communities, and stakeholders have a longstanding commitment to collaboration around preparedness. DPH’s support, as well as the support of the General Assembly, bolsters this partnership in preparedness to collectively meet the needs of Connecticut residents during emergencies.
DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD commended the partnership between “academic institutions, healthcare institutions like UConn, the state, and the Connecticut Hospital Association, which proves to be a very important partnership and collaboration of all our hospitals to be able to really orchestrate a response when it is needed.” She emphasized that on a daily basis hospitals are on the frontlines of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies, such as Ebola, COVID-19, RSV, and other respiratory viral diseases as well as hurricanes, winter storms, extreme heat events, and cyberattacks. Disasters happen year-round and require vigilance on the part of the healthcare community and practitioners to ensure that when people are injured, sick, or need medical attention, they are guaranteed timely, high-quality care. Connecticut hospitals and health systems demonstrated this readiness throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Speakers also included UConn John Dempsey Hospital Chief Operating Officer Caryl Ryan, UConn Office of Emergency Management Director William (Bill) Shea, and UConn Health epidemiologist Dr. David Banach
Guided by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), administered by DPH’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR), hospitals and health systems are constantly enhancing emergency planning and response. They achieve this by monitoring, maintaining, and improving:
- Information and database sharing
- Communications systems
- Bed availability and surge capacity tracking
- Hospital evacuation planning
- Pharmaceutical inventories
- Decontamination capabilities
- Coordination with community organizations
- Personnel training and education
- Emergency drills and exercises
- Volunteer management
Federal funds from the HPP support DPH, hospitals, health systems, and community partners in their shared mission to deliver coordinated and effective care to victims of public health emergencies. Click here for more information about the Connecticut Hospital Preparedness Program.
Click here to watch the press conference.
