MPCA.net | Emergency Management

Emergencies Happen – An In-Depth Guide to Emergency Management for Health Centers

Emergencies will happen – whether you are ready for them or not. Health Centers can greatly improve their ability to respond efficiently and recover more quickly by preparing for emergencies.

Part of this process includes planning with your community and developing a comprehensive, all-hazards Emergency Management Plan (EMP) for your Health Center. An EMP will formalize and define your Health Center’s role, both internally and externally, in an emergency. It is important that your patients, staff, and community partners are familiar with your plan so that they can help your Health Center during an emergency response. History has shown that organizations and agencies that have a coordinated, thorough, and well-exercised plan are better able to save lives, protect property, and recover more quickly.

Successful all-hazards emergency and disaster planning is focused on preparing for a wide range of events. An EMP that clearly defines and describes policies, procedures, roles, responsibilities, tasks, and specific operational actions as they pertain to each emergency support function, before, during, and after an emergency, is invaluable.

There is no one-size-fits-all list of emergency management planning considerations that can be prescribed generically for all health centers. The primary goals are to ensure that the EMP is supported by your Health Center's capabilities and that it fully incorporates all activities determined to be important for the risks and hazards likely to impact your health center.

Emergencies Happen - Prepare Now
A guide that offers information, tools, and templates to assist health centers as they develop and implement comprehensive emergency management programs.

HRSA Policy Information Notices

Hazard Vulnerability Analysis Templates

Emergency Risk Communication