Friday, March 14, 2025
3/14/2025
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) possesses a functional public health emergency management program. The CDPHE maintains a strong ability to activate and use its incident command system (ICS), emergency operations plan (EOP) and supporting plans, the Emergency Support Function 8 section of the State of Colorado All-Hazards Plan, its department operations center (DOC), and activate simultaneously with Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC). All aspects of Public Health Preparedness & Response were tested during the COVID-19 pandemic response and CDPHE’s capabilities have been assessed during real world events. The department’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR) manages the activation of these systems and plans. The recent emergence of new public health threats, including COVID-19, demonstrates the importance of the health and medical systems within communities. These threats also illustrate the importance of state and federal support for public health emergencies of such magnitude that overwhelm and exceed available resources of local jurisdictions. This grant request focuses on enhancing the Colorado public health system, addressing gaps identified in the COVID-19 response, to rapidly mobilize and respond to public health emergencies while supporting the surge needs during a public health incident. This funding’s intent is for response activities that will reduce morbidity and mortality, and will not be used to duplicate or supplant other federal funding. The overarching outcomes from this funding include, but are not limited to: heightened identification and investigation of initial disease cases, rapid activation and management of both support and tactical emergency operations, sustained coordination with other public health and medical partners, implementation of appropriate intervention and control measures in a timely fashion, and using standardized and agreed upon risk communication with the public while exchanging important information with response partners statewide. The OEPRwill provide the majority of the funding to local agencies through pre-existing contracting processes, including guidance for specific outcomes as outlined by the grant notice of award at the time of grant funding release. The overarching theme for all activities will be to enhance current public health emergency management programs and reduce incident specific morbidity and mortality. Activities included within this application include but are not limited to: rapid procurement and contracting procedures, budget monitoring and management, heightened disease monitoring and investigation, incident management that integrates leadership roles and responsibilities, risk communication for the public and response partners, augmented communication for relaying important essential elements of information and situational awareness, incident surge operations such as personnel hiring and procurement of additional supplies, volunteer management, and the mobilization of current health partnerships, MOU’s, and community coalitions. The end goal of the OEPR is to direct a coordinated statewide response to any and all incidents with a public health and medical component. Using existing statewide MOU’s, including the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), OEPR creates strategies and activities that will strengthen community resilience, surge management, information management, countermeasures and mitigation, and incident management. Building upon existing relationships and emergency management programs statewide will only bolster the health and medical communities’ ability to rapidly respond to an event, thus creating a more resilient Colorado.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).