nurses walking up stairs

HPP

Hospital Preparedness Program

Since 2002, MHA has been awarded funds for preparedness and response grants.

Funds are awarded from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services under the Bioterrorism Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration and the Hospital Preparedness Program under HHS, Assistant Secretary.

Purpose of the Grant

  • refine planning and development of regional capacity and capabilities to strengthen all-hazards emergency preparedness planning
  • test and refine regional and statewide disaster/emergency response systems and protocols across the entire provider continuum to assess and improve medical surge management while ensuring continuity of operations during any incident/disaster
  • support and assist health care systems through facilitation, education and exercises to increase preparedness for all hazards, including pandemic influenza and mass casualty incidents

​MHA has prioritized the use of these federal funds to build robust, redundant response systems that support member hospital preparedness. This includes strengthening regulatory and accreditation compliance, as well as building capacity for medical surge and continuity of health care delivery.

Initiatives

Programmatically, MHA has led several key preparedness initiatives to establish a statewide, all-hazards, resilient health care response program to include, but is not limited to:

  • the development and implementation of standardized, plain language emergency overhead codes, adopted by 88% of Missouri hospitals since 2014
  • the development of a health care coalition framework, aligned with federal guidance while specific to the unique needs and resource constraints of rural providers, implemented and operational in five HCCs since 2010
  • the development and execution of a statewide hospital mutual aid agreement since 2007, signed by 84% of Missouri hospitals and utilized successfully in numerous real-world incidents, including the 2011 Joplin tornado, numerous widespread flooding incidents and regional incidents of civil unrest
  • the development of interoperable communication systems through standardized communication trailers that feature redundant radio and satellite capabilities and purchases of interoperable MOSWIN radios for hospitals, local public health agencies and emergency medical services agencies

​MHA, in line with national HPP guidance, continues to focus on formal, established processes and partnerships for regional medical response coordination through HCCs, while providing health care organizations with the tools and resources to refine, maintain and sustain systems to sustain continuity of operations and manage medical surge.

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