Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Hospital Preparedness Program - The Colorado Hospital Preparedness Program is developed and implemented by the Colorado Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR). The office clearly has the capability to grow the HPP within Colorado with the Healthcare Operations and Response Branch leading the effort and supported through collaboration with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program (PHEP) and the Strategic Planning, Training and Exercise Branch. The purpose of the HPP is to improve patient outcomes and enable rapid recovery from catastrophic events by building the strongest system of Healthcare Coalitions in the nation focused on enhancing medical surge capacity. OEPR will accomplish this through continued funding for, guidance to, training and exercising of nine healthcare coalitions that cover all 64 counties within the state. Colorado is unique within the United States. Geographically large with a rapidly growing population, Colorado faces the duel challenges of healthcare system growth, development and integration in some communities while other communities struggle to keep the doors of their single 15-25 bed critical access hospital open. Hazards and vulnerabilities affecting the healthcare system range from massive and highly destructive floods and wildfires to active shooter events, infectious diseases, as well as vulnerable electric, and water infrastructure. In 2017, Colorado merged 32 localized healthcare coalitions into nine. In an effort to drive capability growth, Colorado is focusing on eight objectives. OEPR will strengthen HCC’s organizations, governance and sustainability. OEPR will strengthen planning, HVA and resource assessing and the integration of data to guide system development. OEPR will implement a systemic and standardized process for information sharing and situational awareness dissemination. OEPR will actively improve HCCs abilities in all four capabilities by directing resources to address capability areas identified as “build” within the CAT. OEPR will actively improve training and exercises for HCCs. OEPR will grow medical surge capability across the healthcare system. OEPR will further integrate planning for all individuals in our communities. And OEPR will sustain what has come before, including volunteer management, behavioral health response capacity, and information sharing systems. In addition, our program evaluation, strategic planning and training and exercise programs are all designed to drive further capability maturation. Colorado will utilize the $3,255,651 plus its 10% match in the following ways. For program administration, contract implementation and monitoring, resource development, system guidance, training and exercise development, and evaluation, OEPR will utilize 15% plus indirect. OEPR will utilize 16% to centrally procure EMSystems for information sharing and bed/resource management and the ESAR-VHP compliant Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer for uniform, efficient volunteer management and integration into medical surge response. OEPR will utilize another 7.4% in centrally procuring expertise from the Colorado Hospital Association and the Colorado Community Health Network to grow HCC emphasis in healthcare emergency readiness and increase hospital and community health center participation in HCCs. As a result, $1,768,007 or 54.3% of HPP funding will directly fund nine healthcare coalitions.
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).