February 2022 Newsletter
Welcome Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition Newsletter
February 2022
As a valued partner of the Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition (VHEPC), you will receive this bi-monthly newsletter highlighting coalition business, upcoming events and preparedness resources. As a reminder, we recommend that you bookmark the VHEPC website calendar and check it often. We are continually curating the calendar with meetings, trainings and exercises.
Our Mission
Our coalition is a multi-disciplinary partnership collaborating with our members, stakeholders, and surrounding communities to improve and expand emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. The VHEPC works with healthcare entities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies in the state of Vermont.
VHEPC Announcements and Upcoming Events
Photo Credit: AbsolutVision via Unsplash
VHEPC Burn Surge TTX- Thursday, February 17, 2022: 10:00AM to 12:30PM
It is the intent of this exercise that participants will provide an overview of burn surge capabilities in Vermont and identify gaps that may occur in a burn-related mass casualty incident as well as review respective coalition member organization’s role in a burn mass casualty incident. Through this exercise, we will identify how the VHEPC can support the existing processes in place for burn surge and capture processes that can be documented in the VHEPC Burn Surge Annex. Registration is open and the link is included in the button below.
IMPORTANT: The Functional Module of this exercise has been cancelled.
Save the Date: Annual Medial Response and Surge Exercise
April 14, 2022 from 1:00PM to 4:00PM
Join the VHEPC for our Medical Surge and Response Exercise. This is a required exercise designed by ASPR for coalitions to evaluate their medical surge capabilities. We know times are unprecedented but we hope that you can participate in this important functional exercise. Please take the quick poll below to let us know if you plan to participate in exercise play.
See our feature article below to learn about the major changes to this exercise.
FREE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY: Cybersecurity Updates and Best Practices for Emergency Cyber Preparedness
Join VHEPC Members and Partners to learn about best practices in cybersecurity for emergency preparedness. More information can be found in our calendar or on the event flyer.
March 22, 2022 from 2:00PM-3:00PM
SAVE THE DATE and REGISTER: Supply Chain Integrity Assessment Survey and Exercise
VHEPC is sponsoring a supply chain integrity assessment, workshop and exercise in April 2022. We anticipate sending out the assessment to all coalition members and partners in the next two weeks.
VHEPC will also be hosting a virtual multi-disciplinary Supply Chain Integrity Exercise on April 21, 2022 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM. The exercise will focus on supply chain issues and Vermont crisis standards of care. Member organizations will be able to utilize this exercise to meet the CMS exercise of choice requirement.
More information on the exercise can be found below.
The Joint Commission New and Revised Standards in Emergency Management
New and revised Emergency Management standards will go into effect July 1, 2022. These standards will apply to all Joint Commission accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals.
These changes will include a new numbering system, elimination of redundant requirements, and the addition of new requirements.
To view the details of these changes please click on the button below.
Recovery Resources
As response activities are underway, recovery operations must begin. Applying the community lifelines construct enables response officials to more effectively identify the requirements and sequence steps in the recovery process, including activities that support the economy, by focusing them on vital areas of community support. VHEPC has curated the following recovery planning documents to assist our members in recovery planning.
Major Changes in Exercise Design: From the Coalition Surge Test to the Medical Response and Surge Exercise
Coalition-level exercising has been a cornerstone of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Hospital Preparedness Program, and on October 27, 2021, ASPR unveiled new exercise requirements for all funded healthcare coalitions.
The Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) is now a required exercise that is replacing the Coalition Surge Test. There are a few significant changes:
This is no-longer a “no-notice” exercise and the 90-minute limit timeframe has been removed
The exercise type transitioned from a tabletop with functional elements to an operations-based functional exercise designed to examine and evaluate the capabilities and functions of Health Care Coalitions (HCCs) and their members to support medical surge response
The exercise scenario no longer has to be evacuation; Healthcare Coalitions have more flexibility in choosing what their surge scenario will be
There is the potential to use a real-world event to meet this exercise requirement, although there are specific criteria that must be met (see graphic below)
ASPR has developed a situation manual, evaluation plan and exercise planning and evaluation tool for HCC’s to use to conduct this exercise
At this time, ASPR does not plan to waive this exercise as a requirement for Fiscal Year 2021-2022, which means all funded healthcare coalitions will have to complete the exercise this grant year. For VHEPC, we must conduct the exercise by April 30, 2022 and submit all documentation and data by June 30, 2022. For a more complete view of the exercise changes, click here to review the MRSE Rollout Webinar Slides.
VHEPC is in the initial stages of exercise design and meets monthly with the Coalition’s Integrated Preparedness Work Group. Interested in helping to design this exercise? Join us for our next meeting on February 10th.
Training Corner
Find the latest trainings here.
National Incident Management System Training
FEMA provides free emergency response trainings for those wishing to improve their training and knowledge in National Incident Management (NIMS). The FEMA website provides more detail stating “The Emergency Management Institute works in collaboration with the whole community to provide training in support of the NIMS Training Program. The Preparedness Branch coordinates EMI’s NIMS training efforts with the National Integration Center (NIC) to integrate NIMS doctrine and training with whole community needs.
For more information and to view available trainings
Assisted Living and Residential Care Home Emergency Management Support
The Vermont Department of Health has partnered with All Clear Emergency Management Group, the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, and the Vermont Healthcare Association to develop a comprehensive Emergency Management Support Program specifically for non-CMS regulated assisted living facilities and residential care homes. This support program is open to any Vermont-based residential care home or assisted living facility. The program will include a series of educational webinars, the option to sign up for one-on-one counseling with experts from All Clear, two virtual tabletop exercises, an exercise in a box, and an emergency planning best practices workbook.
For more information and to view available trainings
VHEPC Event Calendar
Contact Us
Kate Hammond, Coalition Chair
802-373-2207
Kate.Hammond@uvmhealth.org
Jim Holway, Member at Large
802-391-8849
jholway@livingwellgroup.org
Deborah Wesley, Member at Large
802-388-7259
dwesley@achhh.org
Jennifer Bynum, Readiness and Response Coordinator
919-717-3355
vhepc@allclearemg.com
Lauren Smith, Interim Assistant Readiness and Response Coordinator
458-225-4684
vhepc@allclearemg.com
Dr. David Nelson, Pediatric Clinical Advisor 702-449-9903 David.Nelson@uvmhealth.org
Dr. Ryan Sexton, Clinical Advisor 609-709-2882 ryanjsexton@yahoo.com
Vacant, Coalition Co-Chair
Vacant, Coalition Secretary