Community health centers (CHCs) play a critical role within the healthcare delivery system and serve as frontline leaders and trusted messengers in underserved and hard-to-reach communities. As communities face increasingly frequent and severe emergencies and disasters, it's crucial for CHCs to maintain continuity of operations and essential services during these events.
Operational Status Reporting
Report a Change in Operational Status
Report a change in your health center’s operations due to an emergency or perceived impact. By reporting your health center’s status, CPCA can help your health center connect and coordinate with local, state, and federal resources to support during and after an emergency.
Resources
Case Studies and Reports
Tools and Templates
Trainings
- Building Partnerships
This webcast covers information about establishing disaster response and recovery partnership agreements before an emergency/disaster.
- Patient De-escalation Techniques
This video series is designed to be used during a training session or staff meeting to help health center staff recognize the signs of a potentially violent scenario and implement steps to de-escalate.
- The Importance of Building Partnerships Before Disasters Occur
This webcast covers collaboration between government agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and community members.
- COVID-19 After Action Reports/Improvement Plans
This webcast outlines the requirements for AAR/IPs for emergency responses within the CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule and other grant/accreditation programs, as well as tips and guidelines for developing a COVID-19 AAR/IP.
- Hospital Incident Command
These trainings review key incident command roles and responsibilities before, during and after an emergency to support community health centers implement an incident management structure.
Other Organizations and Resources
Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
- Healthcare Coalitions (HCCs)
CHCs are encouraged to establish strong partnerships with their HCCs, groups of individual healthcare and response organizations working in a defined geographic location to prepare and respond to disasters and emergencies. HCCs collaborate to ensure members have what they need to respond to emergencies, such as medical equipment and supplies, real-time information, communication systems, and trained healthcare personnel.
California Department of Public Health
- Statewide Medical and Health Exercise (SWMHE)
The SWMHE Program consists of exercise templates to assist jurisdictions, organizations and facilities participating in the yearly exercise and meet exercise requirements. The next state sponsored SWMHE is proposed to take place in April of 2025 and annually thereafter.
Health Resources and Services Administration
- Emergency Preparedness
Visit this website to learn about federal response and recovery assistance in the event of a Major Disaster Declaration.
- Emergency Information Kit: Key Resources for Health Centers
This website covers reporting operational status, temporary sites and changes in scope (CIS), volunteers and Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) protections, and requesting programmatic and grant flexibilities.
CMS EP Rule
In November 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Emergency Preparedness Requirements (EP Rule) to provide consistent and comprehensive emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs), with the ultimate goal of increasing patient safety during emergencies. The four core elements of the EP Rule are:
- Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning: Develop an emergency plan based on a risk assessment and using an "all-hazards" approach, which will provide an integrated system for emergency planning that focuses on capacities and capabilities.
- Policies and Procedures: Develop and implement policies and procedures based on the emergency plan and risk assessment that are reviewed and updated at least annually.
- Communication Plan: Develop and maintain an emergency preparedness communication plan that complies with federal, state and local laws.
- Training and Testing: Develop and maintain training and testing programs, including initial training in policies and procedures.
EP Rule Resources
CPCA Staff Contact
Ivan Prado, Program Coordinator of Health Center Operations
iprado@cpca.org
(916) 440-8170
Amanda Carbajal, Associate Director of Health Center Operations
acarbajal@cpca.org
(916) 440-8170