Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program

Providers: Report Communicable Diseases and Outbreaks

NOTE: The Bioterrorism Hospital Preparedness Program (BHPP) has changed its name to the Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program (HEPP). For questions or comments, please contact us at hepp@health.nyc.gov.

NYC Healthcare PREPARES is a DOHMH web site dedicated to healthcare emergency preparedness.

Healthcare facilities and emergency planners from New York City and across the country are welcome to access protocols, guidance, templates, and other tools useful for preparedness from this web site.  Updates to new protocols, guidance documents and a calendar of upcoming events will occur frequently as new materials become available.

What's New

• NYC Hospital Guidance for Responding to a Contaminating Radiation Incident: DRAFT OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ^NEW
• NIMS Happens! NIMS Conference (at GNYHA, May 15, 2008) ^NEW
• Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan to Manage In-Hospital Deaths Training Course ^NEW
• Personal Preparedness: Preparing Yourself and Your Family for an Emergency ^NEW
• NYC Surge Capacity Toolkit: Rapid Patient Discharge Tool (RPDT) ^NEW
• Improving Cause of Death Reporting: For Physicians ^NEW
• New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBRNE Tabletop Exercise: Explosive Event ^NEW
• New York City Pediatric Intensive Care Directory
• National Incident Management System (NIMS) Information

Other DOHMH documents of interest to the NYC Healthcare PREPARES audience:

• NYC DOHMH Pandemic Flu Plan

Partners

HEPP collaborates with a variety of healthcare providers and facilities, including hospitals, primary care clinics, long term care facilities, emergency medical services, medical schools, professional associations and agencies.  The activities of our primary audiences are addressed in the following pages:

• Hospitals
• Emergency Preparedness Coordinators
• Primary Care Centers

Preparedness Focus Areas

HEPP creates and collaborates on multiple initiatives for health care providers and facilities in the following six major focus areas:

• Biological Preparedness
• Burn & Trauma Preparedness
• Chemical Preparedness
• Mental Health Preparedness
• Pediatric Preparedness
• Radiological Preparedness

The National Incident Management System (NIMS)

In 2004, the Department of Homeland Security released the National Incident Management System (NIMS), as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 5 - Management of Domestic Incidents, and HSPD 8 - Preparedness. NIMS was developed as a means for responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines to better work together during the response to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and an emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management.

HEPP NIMS Information

Key HEPP Project Resources and Documents

• Radiation Equipment and Response Training
• Pediatric Disaster Toolkit: Hospital guidance for planning for pediatrics during a disaster.
• Hospital and Primary Care Centers Tabletop Toolkit: Tabletop drills developed for self-administration by emergency managers to hospital and primary care staff.
• CBRNE Training Academy Course Materials: Awareness level CBRNE training materials for hospital employees and public health providers.
• Primary Care Center Emergency Preparedness Assessment Tool: Template for primary care centers to complete for self-evaluation of their level of emergency preparedness.
• Emergency Department Screening and Isolation Drill Guidance Documents: Documents provided for hospitals to create and test screening and isolation protocol for highly contagious respiratory infections for emergency departments.
• Grants and Requests for Proposals: Current active grants, Scopes of Services, and Requests for Proposals.

For comments or questions, please e-mail: hepp@health.nyc.gov.