HHS awarded Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine and Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital each $3 million to run a pilot project on providing medical care during disasters.
The pilot, Regional Disaster Health Response System, will create a tiered disaster care system that brings local healthcare coalitions, trauma centers, emergency medical services, burn centers, pediatric hospitals, labs and outpatient services into the fold.
As part of the pilot, Nebraska Medicine and Massachusetts General must build a disaster health response partnership for specialty care, create an aligned plan for clinical excellence during a disaster, increase surge capacity and situational awareness at the state and regional levels, and develop metrics to test how well the system works.
"Our nation faces real and serious threats that represent a looming risk to healthcare delivery," HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, MD, said in a press release. "This system offers a powerful way to form alliances and build specialized capabilities that save more lives in overwhelming, catastrophic emergencies. The system draws on the existing U.S. healthcare infrastructure, pulling together private sector and federal resources in a way that has never been done. I encourage all healthcare delivery facilities and providers to get involved."
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