May 2023 Newsletter
Welcome to the Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition Newsletter
May 2023
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.
VHEPC Announcements and Upcoming Events
VHEPC Quarter 4 Full Coalition Meeting (Hybrid)
May 11, 2023 from 10:00AM ET to 2:00PM ET
SEOC Conference Room at 45 State Drive, Waterbury VT 05671
In-person Registration, CLICK HERE
Online Registration, CLICK HERE
Regional MCI Workshops
South Workshop - June 6th from 12:00PM to 3:00PM
Central Workshop - June 7th from 12:00PM to 3:00PM
North Workshop - June 8th from 9:00AM to 12:00PM
South Registration, CLICK HERE
Central Registration, CLICK HERE
North Registration, CLICK HERE
Barriers to Patient Flow Workgroup: Hospital Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Call Out
Root Cause Analysis Workshops will be offered to ALL Vermont hospitals through June 30, 2023.
Please reach out to Lauren Smith at laurens@allclearemg.com or VHEPC at vhepc@allclearemg.com to schedule, now!
Vermont EMS for Children: Pediatric Case Review
Meeting information will be made available on the VHEPC website, HERE.
The next case review will be in late May.
Save the Date! Vermont’s Project Firstline:
CIC Course
Registration Coming Soon!
July 25th - 28th, 2023
Waterbury State Office Complex
Hospitals & Healthcare: What are you currently planning for?
We are looking to collect information on the current plans that hospitals and healthcare facilities are working on. We plan to post this on the website for VHEPC members to access and reach out to facilities/organizations for help or guidance, if needed. Please provide current planning efforts within the survey link below.
Webinars and Education
Cybersecurity Education: HHS 405(d) Knowledge On Demand
Knowledge on Demand (KOD) is a cybersecurity education platform that includes multiple delivery methodologies to reach the varied size health care facilities across the country. Five cybersecurity trainings that align with the top five cybersecurity threats outlined in HICP are featured for training your healthcare staff, security team, and any other department that is on the front lines for protecting patient safety. The best part about this resource? It’s FREE!
Access the education platform, below!
72-Hour Nuclear Detonation Guidance - Released
The 72-hr guidance after a nuclear detonation has just been released and will be followed by a number of videos that will illustrate its key elements. It is hosted on FEMA CBRN Page: Tools for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Hazards.
Download the Guidance, below!
Radiation Medical Issues: Just in Time Pocket Card
The Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site has released their Radiation Medical Issues: Just in Time Pocket Card. Be sure to download this tool and share it amongst your facility. This Pocket Card will help with what you need to know in case of a radiological disaster. Be sure to check out their website, https://orise.orau.gov/index.html
Download the Pocket Card, below!
Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS) - Regional Webinars
The 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!
Access the online webinars, below!
VHEPC Executive Committee Announcement
We wanted to thank Liz Rowell for her work and support with the VHEPC Executive Committee, Members and Partners. She will be stepping away from her role as a Member At-Large as of June 1st. Thank you for everything, Liz!
We will need to fill the Member At-Large role for the remainder of the Executive Committee term. We will begin collecting nominations in June 2023, keep your eye out!
Vermont: emPOWER & SVI De-identified Data
The HHS emPOWER Program is a partnership between the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The HHS emPOWER Program provides federal data, mapping, and artificial intelligence tools that are used to protect the of Medicare beneficiaries who are also relying on electrically powered medical devices. Currently there are 4.2 million individuals who live independently and rely on electricity-dependent medical and assistive equipment and devices, and or essential health care services.
Training Corner
Find the latest trainings and resources here.
Engaging Patients and Communities in HEAL Research
National Institute of Health (NIH)
HEAL research is focused on finding scientific solutions for stemming the opioid crisis and addressing the treatment needs of people with diverse types of acute and chronic pain. But the best approaches conceived in a research setting cannot be effective if they don’t meet the needs of people in real-world settings. Join the NIH HEAL Initiative® for a webinar exploring ways in which two HEAL projects are meaningfully engaging patients and community partners throughout the research process to ensure the findings from HEAL studies have the greatest public health impact on the pain and opioid public health crises.
Friday May 5th from 2:00PM to 3:00PM
ASTHO 2023 Public Health TechXpo and Futures Forum
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
The 2023 Public Health TechXpo and Futures Forum, presented by ASTHO in Chicago, is an annual convening of public health leaders and experts across the technology, professional services, financial, workforce, and related sectors.
Tuesday May 23rd-Friday May 25th
Innovative Approaches to Improve Maternal Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
NHLBI is hosting a hybrid event that brings together technology developers, medical device experts, small business innovators, implementation scientists, maternal mortality and morbidity (MMM) researchers, and academic, industry, and community-based partners. The goal is to connect the research community with small businesses that are developing new approaches to improve MMM and its associated health disparities.
Monday May 8th-Tuesday May 9th
Sharing Session on Workforce Development
National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO)
A panel of health directors will discuss some of the challenges that local health departments have been experiencing in employee retention and workforce burnout, and how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues. This sharing session will provide both speakers and participants with an opportunity to share experiences and discuss ways to re-engage staff in their work, especially at the local level.
Tuesday May 23rd from 3:00PM to 4:00PM
VHEPC Event Calendar
Contact Us
Alissa Fontaine, VHEPC Chair
802-748-7502
Jonathan Scott, VHEPC Co-Chair
617-510-7033
Emma Harrigan, VHEPC Member At-Large
802-777-9741
Charlie Miceli, VHEPC Member At-Large
Heather Rigney, VHEPC Member At-Large
802-295-8913
Liz Rowell, VHEPC Member At-Large
802-585-4229
Baillie Brooks, Readiness and Response Coordinator
919-717-3355
Sam Carr, Planning Specialist
984-484-8269
Mary Beth Skarote, Healthcare Coalition Division Manager
919-819-5369
Dr. David Nelson, Pediatric Clinical Advisor
702-449-9903
Dr. Ryan Sexton, Clinical Advisor
609-709-2882