February 2025 Newsletter
Welcome to the Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition Newsletter
As a valued partner of the Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition (VHEPC), you will receive this quarterly newsletter highlighting coalition business, upcoming events and preparedness resources. As a reminder, we recommend that you bookmark the VHEPC website calendar and check it often. We are continually curating the calendar with meetings, trainings and exercises.
Our Mission
Our coalition is a multi-disciplinary partnership collaborating with our members, stakeholders, and surrounding communities to improve and expand emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. The VHEPC works with healthcare entities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies in the state of Vermont.
Upcoming VHEPC Events
VHEPC Q3 Coalition Meeting & Medical Response & Surge Exercise- February 13th
Registration closes tomorrow so click on the flyer below to register in advance!
VHEPC Integrated Preparedness Plan & Workshop- March 3rd
Please register in advance for this workshop by clicking on the flyer below:
Amateur Radio Technician Course- March 15th, 2025
Please register for the event by clicking on the flyer below:
Clever Integrations: Teams & HICS Training- March 18th, 2025
Please register for the event by clicking on the flyer below:
VHEPC Announcements
VHEPC Membership Level Reminder
You still have several months to meet the requirements of becoming an “Active Member” as member levels are determined annually at the end of June! Requirements include:
Has a signed member organization agreement on file. If you are unsure if your organization currently has a signed agreement, feel free to ask a coordinator at vhepc@allclearemg.com or complete an agreement form HERE.
Participation in three (3) HCC activities within the fiscal year (July-June). Activities could be in the form of a meeting, exercise, communications drill, or training, etc.
With our upcoming Medical Response & Surge Exercise and many other training offerings, we hope you are able to join the ranks of the Active Member Club! See last year’s list of 35 Active Member Organizations HERE.
Spread Awareness for Preventing Burn Injuries Where You Live
#NBAW February 2 – 8, 2025
Presented by the American Burn Association, National Burn Awareness Week is a chance to unite and promote burn prevention and awareness in communities.
This year’s theme focuses on reducing burn risks in homes, apartments, and all living spaces. Use these resources to support and share #NBAW programs now and in the future.
Reminder: Application Closes in ONE WEEK for Official Vermont Week at CDP!
VDH is hosting a Vermont Week at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) in Anniston, AL on August 4-8, 2025 (travel days are the 3rd & 9th). The following trainings will be offered:
Emergency Medical Operations for CBRNE Incidents (EMO PER-267)
Hospital Emergency Response Training for MCIs with Train-the-Trainer (HERT PER-902)
Healthcare Leadership for MCIs (HCL MGT-901)
What is the cost?
The cost is fully funded by CDP for state and local participants, with no cost for air travel, transportation from the airport to the campus, and on-campus lodging and meals. Sending organizations are responsible for incidental costs such as staff time, transportation to the airport, and meals during travel.
How to apply:
The Vermont application closes on Thursday, February 13th at 11:59PM. Please apply HERE
emPOWER Program Overview
Program Development and Coverage
The emPOWER program, developed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), serves approximately 4.2 million Medicare beneficiaries. Of these, 2.6 million have claims for electricity-dependent durable medical equipment (DME), and 2.8 million have claims for one or more critical healthcare service
Necessity of emPOWER
The emPOWER program addresses urgent needs during emergencies. Disruptions caused by local incidents, such as prolonged power outages, or large-scale events like pandemics, can quickly escalate into life-threatening situations for at-risk individuals. These individuals may:
Overwhelm emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals while seeking care or power sources.
Face severe risks if they shelter in place without the ability to evacuate safely.
Such scenarios result in surges in healthcare demand, which stress public health systems, emergency management, and first responders, potentially leading to adverse health outcomes for the affected populations.
New Training Opportunities
Pacific ADA Center: Upcoming Trainings
Beyond Compliance: Equity, Access, and the ADA! Virtual Conference: March 11-12, 2025 PT
The Pacific ADA Center is pleased to invite you to our upcoming Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) event, Beyond Compliance: Equity, Access, and the ADA Virtual Conference 2025! Join us on March 11 and 12 on Zoom to hear from experts on a wide range of ADA-related topics.
CASp Exam Preparation Course: April 21 - 25, 2025
BeyondAccess Consulting offers a five-day virtual training course to review information covered on the examination to become a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) in the State of California.
FEMA’s National Preparedness Division Presents on Extreme Winter Weather Preparedness
Join the Region 2 National Preparedness Division (all Regions are welcome to attend) for a webinar featuring FEMA Liaisons to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) and National Water Center (NWC) on February 12th 1:00 PM ET. This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of winter-related hazards and their associated impacts, including but not limited to:
observed and forecast snow
snowmelt and rain-on-snow
freezing rain and ice accumulation
extreme cold temperature and wind chill
river ice and ice jam formation
The session will also describe National Weather Service (NWS) winter-related products, providing attendees with valuable tools and insights to enhance operational preparedness and response during winter-related incidents.
Who should attend? Whole community partners, Individuals and families, Volunteer and faith-based organizations, Local, State, Federal government, Private Sector, Emergency Managers.
The New Joint Commission Standards, PPE, and Me
Join the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) on February 14th 12:00 PM ET for an engaging and informative webinar on The Joint Commission (TJC) requirements for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Building on the previous webinar on TJC and PPE, this webinar will dive deeper into the practicalities and challenges of the new Joint Commission requirements for PPE while revisiting key insights and tackling new questions.
Topics will include:
What the updated requirements mean for PPE and facility points of entry
What the updated requirements mean for PPE and facility points of entry
Which pathogens health care facilities should prepare for
How to develop effective plans for PPE implementation
Additionally, we’ll explore the decision-making process behind PPE selection, touching on factors like ease of use, training needs, levels of protection, and availability.
This webinar is ideal for frontline health care workers and infection preventionists who are adapting to these critical changes and want to ensure their facilities meet and exceed compliance standards.
Mark Your Calendars for the 2025 Access and Functional Needs Conference!
Colorado's Access and Functional Needs Program is excited to announce the 2025 Access and Functional Needs Conference, located at Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs, CO! This year we are focusing on the “T” in CMIST, Transportation Resources. This resource is critical for anyone in a disaster, and can vary from land, air, and water transportation, ranging from paratransit, passenger planes, rideshare platforms, ferries, and even personal vehicles (including friends, family, and neighbor support). For more information about CMIST, please view our fact sheet. If you or your organization offers “T” Transportation resources that can support Emergency Management before, during, and after a disaster, we would love to have you join us!
Dates and Times
April 8 | 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Transportation resource disruptions in Planning and Mitigation (before disasters)
Exhibitors' Networking Social | 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
April 9 | 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Transportation resource disruptions in Response and Recovery (during and after disasters)
April 10 | 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Transportation Resource Disruption Tabletop Exercise
Vermont Learning Management System
Most trainings require a Learning Management System(LMS) account. If you don’t have an account, you can register for one here.
MGT 405: Mobilizing Faith-Based Community Organizations in Preparing for Disaster
This course covers emergency planning and brings together emergency managers and first responders with Faith-Based Community Organization (FBCO) leaders in a shared learning environment. This course facilitates effective communication to develop comprehensive local emergency plans.
LOCATION: Virtual
DATE/TIME: February 11-12, 2025, 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. each day
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
ALICE( Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Active Shooter Response Training
Training is the leading program for response to violent critical incidents (VCI). VCI are man-made forms of violent disasters, including; active shooter, violent intruder, mass shooting, terrorism, workplace violence, and other unexpected tragedies. The mission of ALICE is to save lives. Our training program empowers individuals to participate in their own survival using proactive options-based response strategies when faced with violence. Participating in ALICE Instructor Certification provides you with the training necessary to teach others these lifesaving strategies.
LOCATION: The Mountain School at Winhall, Winhall, VT
DATE/TIME: February 18, 2025, 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) K-12 101 Train-the-Educator (TtE)
In June 2013, the Obama Administration released the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide) which provides an overview of Federal guidance on school emergency management planning. The School Guide incorporates lessons learned from events, like the school shooting in Newtown and the tornadoes in Oklahoma, as well as years of emergency planning work by the Federal government, to present a recommended process, important content elements, and key considerations for school emergency operations plan (EOP) development. In collaboration with their local government and community partners, schools can take steps to plan for these potential emergencies through the creation of a high-quality school EOP.
LOCATION: Virtual
DATE/TIME: February 18, 2025, 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
REGISTRATION: State Learning Management System
For a complete listing of trainings go to the Events Calendar in the LMS.
Ongoing Training Options
Vermont EMS for Children 2025 Case Review and PECC Open Forum
Join the Vermont Emergency Medical Services for Children on the last Tuesday of every month for a Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC) open forum followed by a case review:
Next Meeting: February 25th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm - Case Review
Register Via Zoom, Meeting ID: 973 7212 2032, Passcode: EMSC
HHS/ASPR Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds Sessions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Project ECHO have launched this program designed to create peer-to-peer learning networks where clinicians who have more experience treating patients in emergency situations share their challenges and successes with clinicians across the U.S. and around the world with a wide variety of experience of these situations. Topics for sessions are based on new and emergent information around emergency preparedness, as well as topics requested by participants.
Clinical Readiness Rounds sessions occur every month on the first Tuesday from 12:00pm-1:00pm EDT.
National Incident Management System Training
FEMA provides free emergency response trainings for those wishing to improve their training and knowledge in National Incident Management System (NIMS). The FEMA website provides more detail stating “The Emergency Management Institute works in collaboration with the whole community to provide training in support of the NIMS Training Program. The Preparedness Branch coordinates EMI’s NIMS training efforts with the National Integration Center (NIC) to integrate NIMS doctrine and training with whole community needs.
See link below for more information and to view available trainings.
REAC/TS Provides Accredited Continuing Medical Education in All Aspects of Radiation Emergency Medicine
REAC/TS, as part of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, offers accredited continuing medical education courses in radiation emergency medicine. Many types of professionals can benefit from the lectures, discussions, hands-on activities and role-playing exercises as they learn about the different aspects of the medical management of a radiological/nuclear incident.
Courses are scheduled throughout the year at the REAC/TS facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, or these courses can be customized and taught at locations worldwide, such as hospitals, nuclear facilities and first responder agencies.
Regional Disaster Health Response System- Regional Webinars
The Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) envisions a coordinated, resilient and seamless system of partners working together to ensure the healthcare needs of the public can be met in times of disaster. At all levels of the RDHRS, activities aim to optimize clinical surge capacity and, provide appropriate clinical and healthcare operational expertise to support healthcare disaster response planning. Within the Regional Webinars, specific topics including Family Reunification, the Ebola Outbreak, Pediatric Respiratory Illness and much more have been recorded for healthcare education!
New Hampshire Emergency Management Courses
These training courses, developed and funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are available to officials from all levels of government, emergency services personnel, representatives from private sector organizations, representatives of business and industry, and others with responsibility for response to or management of resources related to emergency preparedness activities of government.
Partner Resources
Pacific ADA Center Updates
January 2025 Highlights
Virtual Conference 2025- Beyond Compliance: Equity, Access, and the ADA! March 11-12, 2025 at 10am-3pm PT
The Pacific ADA Center is pleased to invite you to our upcoming Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) event, Beyond Compliance: Equity, Access, and the ADA Virtual Conference 2025! Join us on March 11 and 12 on Zoom to hear from experts on a wide range of ADA-related topics. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit the conference website for up-to-date information!
Certified Access Specialist (CASp) Exam Preparation Course- April 21 - 25, 2025 from 8am-12pm PST daily
BeyondAccess Consulting offers a five-day virtual training course to review information covered on the examination to become a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) in the State of California. Note: BeyondAccess Consulting has the same knowledgeable staff as the Pacific ADA Center and offers the same great exam prep course; we simply moved our services that go beyond the scope of the ADA to this newer program. Visit the course website for more information and to register!
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Training Bulletin
February-March 2025 Highlights
Applications are now open for all FY25 Federal Cyber Defense Skilling Academy. These 100% virtual, free training offerings are designed to equip federal employees with foundational and specialized cybersecurity skills. Each course emphasizes practical training to ensure that participants gain experience in protecting and defending against cyber threats.
The new CDM144 course, VULNERABILITY AND RISK MANAGEMENT USING THE CDM AGENCY DASHBOARD will launch on February 25. The course will cover the new CDM capabilities: CyHy (Cyber Hygiene) and SCuBA (Secure Cloud Business Applications). It will be hosted in the Cybersecurity Virtual Learning Environment (CVLE), which includes training labs for the CDM Agency Dashboard training labs.
CISA is thrilled to announce that we are now offering Skilling Continuation Labs (SCL)! This new series of hands-on training opportunities covers specific cyber topics and use cases that are tied to CISA guidance and publications. To try your hand at the Network Segmentation and Enhanced Security with DNS labs, head over to the President’s Cup Practice Area.
ASPR Health Care Readiness Bulletin
Week of January 9, 2025
ASTHO’s Most Popular Resources of 2024- As a new year is set in motion, ASTHO looks back at 2024 and its most popular resources. Covering topic areas like public health infrastructure, data modernization, and infectious disease, these resources empowered jurisdictions with valuable tools and guidance. From capacity building to technical assistance, ASTHO remains dedicated to supporting public health agencies in their vital work. Explore the most sought-after items of 2024 HERE.
Missouri Takes Strategic Steps to Improve Policy Processes- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services partnered with ASTHO to establish a more collaborative policy review committee.
This initiative, funded by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG), aims to build capacity within public health agencies, encourage quality improvement in policymaking, and provide tools for assessing and addressing policy gaps. Discover more about how agencies can implement these efforts in the full blog.
EMSC Pulse
December 2024 Edition
NHTSA and EMSC launch national pediatric EMS performance dashboard: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of EMS and the EMSC Program have launched the first pediatric dashboard focused on clinical care using data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS). NEMSIS is the national system used to collect, store, and share EMS data from 54 U.S. states and territories. The new dashboard can be used to support quality and performance improvement at the national, state, and agency levels, and complements the work of the National Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project. The dashboard includes measures related to asthma, hypoglycemia, anaphylaxis, shock, pain control, and traumatic injury, with more measures coming soon. Measures were selected to align with National EMS Quality Alliance performance measures, with additional measures selected by an EMSC Program expert panel.
The ASPR TRACIE
The Exchange: January 9 Highlights
Preparing for and Responding to Mass Casualty Burn Incidents: Mass casualty burn incidents are rare but can completely overwhelm emergency response and healthcare in a community, state, and region. Burn injuries can be complex and often need specialty care, and demand may exceed availability of burn units and the staff with the knowledge to treat these types of injuries. As we release Issue 20 of The Exchange our thoughts are with our colleagues in California who are presently fighting fires, treating patients, and experiencing their own losses.
This issue includes the following articles:
Injuries Sustained and Lessons Learned from the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire
The Big Picture: Using the Nevada Hospital Association’s Burn Watch Board to Understand Capacity
Burn and Blast Medical Countermeasure Program: The Federal Perspective
We also encourage you to access our updated Burns Topic Collection that was reviewed by members of our cadre of subject matter experts.
Vermont Emergency Management Newsletter
Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) sends out a monthly newsletter that informs Emergency Preparedness workers about statewide trainings, exercises, conferences and other activities. To sign up for their monthly newsletter, please click here or view the most recent VEM Newsletter below.
New Hampshire Monthly Training Newsletter
State of New Hampshire
Most of the classes are tuition free and help prepare the responders, citizens, volunteers, and decision makers to prepare, prevent, mitigate, respond and recover from emergencies. You can get the most updated list of training for HSEM at here.
To view the most recent NH Newsletter, please click on the button below.
Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS)
The Region 1 Disaster Health Response System (R1 RDHRS) exists to develop innovative mechanisms that link experts in healthcare disaster response with other key healthcare, governmental and community partners and stakeholders to improve coordination of planning and response activities and support optimal patient care during disasters.
For more information on their resources and services, visit the site linked on the button below.
IPRO QIN-QIO Upcoming Events
QIN-QIO
The IPRO QIN-QIO works to ensure high-quality, safe health care in New England, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
To become involved with their trainings and resources, enroll with them below
VHEPC Event Calendar
Contact Us
VHEPC Staff
Mary Beth Skarote
Healthcare Coalition Division Manager
T: (919)-819-5369
Hannah James
Readiness and Response Coordinator
T: (207)-747-9318
