Chair File: Enhancing Preparation and Response for Public Health Emergencies

Twenty years ago, National Preparedness Month was established in September by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in response to the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.

We’ll never forget those who lost their lives or were injured on 9/11, and we’ll never forget the heroes. The lives of so many individuals and families forever changed in the aftermath of those attacks. There were untold and uncountable heroic acts by so many people working at hospitals and health systems, who cared for those who were injured.

Hospitals and health systems are among the front-line responders during public health emergencies such as terrorist attacks, mass violence incidents, natural disasters, pandemics and cyberattacks. Though our country has made much progress at the federal, state and local levels to prepare for and respond to such emergencies — the work continues.

The AHA has developed an online hub of resources designed to enhance our nation’s public health preparedness, response and recovery efforts and support communities. These resources were developed as part of Convening Leaders for Emergency and Response (CLEAR), an initiative dedicated to strengthening hospitals’ and health systems’ capabilities to prepare for, respond to and recover from future emergencies and natural disasters.

Enhancing our nation’s emergency management system calls for strengthening cross-sector partnerships, building workforce capacity and resilience, sharing information, managing misinformation and normalizing a culture of preparedness.

I encourage you to check out these CLEAR resources focused on those overall objectives:

• Tip sheets offering strategies and real-world examples for hospitals and health systems to effectively prepare for and respond to a variety of public health emergency scenarios.
• Videos, from the CLEAR Crisis Leadership Series, featuring hospital and health system leaders discussing their firsthand experiences navigating public health emergencies, ranging from mass violence incidents to cyberattacks.
• Field guide outlining aligned priorities and actionable strategies to ensure a more unified health care and public health care system for the future.

No one can predict exactly when the next pandemic, hurricane, cyberattack or terrorist attack will occur. But health care teams can learn and practice emergency preparedness and response skills, leaders can foster a culture of preparedness, and hospitals and health systems can work with community partners to develop and improve frameworks for collaboration and communication. It’s imperative that our teams are always ready for the next public health emergency.