Rhode Island Hospital Preparedness Program - Following the guidance provided by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s (ASPR’s) Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Cooperative Agreement, Rhode Island will continue the work to connect healthcare entities throughout Rhode Island, Region 1, and with national partners to conduct coordinated hazard assessments, mitigation, planning, training, exercises, and ongoing evaluations for emergencies and disasters so all partners are better ready to address community needs, especially those of communities most impacted by disasters, during all types of emergencies; are better connected to RIDOH and all members of Rhode Island’s single, statewide healthcare coalition (the Healthcare Coalition of Rhode Island); and ultimately, are better able to save lives during emergencies and disasters that exceed the day-to-day capacity of healthcare and emergency response systems. Over the past 25 years, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and its single, statewide healthcare coalition, the Healthcare Coalition of Rhode Island (HCRI), have made great strides in public health and healthcare emergency preparedness and response. In the last project period, HCRI expanded so that it now includes over 500 member agencies across healthcare, public health, and emergency management fields. In many real-world emergencies, RIDOH and HCRI have demonstrated significant return on investment of the preparedness activities conducted with HPP and Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) guidance and funding. This application lays the groundwork for RIDOH and HCRI to build upon their past successes and lessons learned by continuing to address the Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities for Healthcare Coalitions, and, when available, the National Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities, in concert with additional requirements outlined in the 2024-2029 HPP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) over the course of the next five years. RIDOH and HCRI will continually assess prioritization of the NOFO and Capabilities based on current real-world conditions, capacities, available funding and personnel, and what can be realistically achieved within each budget period and throughout the five-year project period to strengthen the healthcare delivery system’s ability to prepare for and respond to all-hazards, including mitigating and managing medical surge resulting from mass casualty incidents, natural disasters, and service members returning from overseas combat. Over the course of the project period, RIDOH’s and HCRI’s objectives to address the NOFO’s Activities will assist HCRI in developing and demonstrating the core functions (assessment and risk mitigation; information sharing; specialty care planning and coordination; response; healthcare workforce support; resource management; training, exercises, and evaluation; continuity and recovery; and organizational development).
